{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_11509/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_11509","id":"gutenberg_11509","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11509","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Category: Teaching & Education","Jesus Christ -- Art","Jesus Christ -- Biography -- Juvenile literature"],"text":"THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE YOUNG\n\nBY\n\nTHE REV. RICHARD NEWTON, D.D.\n\n_ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY_\n\nVOL. III\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE GALLERY OF THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST\n\nVOLUME III\n\nCONTENTS:\n\nI THE APOSTLES CHOSEN\n\nII THE GREAT TEACHER\n\nIII CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES\n\nIV CHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES\n\nV CHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY\n\nVI CHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY\n\nVII CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN\n\nVIII THE TRANSFIGURATION\n\nIX THE LESSONS FROM OLIVET\n\nX THE LORD'S SUPPER\n\nILLUSTRATIONS:\n\nMAP OF PALESTINE, IN COLORS\n\n41. THE WOMAN OF CANAAN\n\n42. SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST\n\n43. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST\n\n44. JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC\n\n45. LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU\n\n46. ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL\n\n47. JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS\n\n48. JESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN\n\n49. THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD\n\n50. CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN\n\n51. JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS\n\n52. CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM\n\n53. CHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY\n\n54. AT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES\n\n55. JESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET\n\n56. THE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER\n\n57. IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE\n\n58. THE ARREST OF JESUS\n\n59. JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS\n\n60. JESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE APOSTLES CHOSEN\n\n\n\n\n\nAs soon as he returned victorious from the temptation in the\nwilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find\nhim, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing\nmany wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus\ndescribed by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. \"And Jesus went about all Galilee,\nteaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the\nkingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of\ndisease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and\nthey brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers\ndiseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,\nand those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he\nhealed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from\nGalilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and\nfrom beyond Jordan.\" What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of\nall ministries this was! He came to bless our world. He did bless it,\nas no one else could have done. And here, we see, how he entered on\nhis work.\n\nAnd one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his\nministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that\nwe find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been\ndisciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,\nand said--\"Behold the Lamb of God.\" When they heard this they\nfollowed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his\nbrother Simon Peter, he said to him \"we have found the Messias--the\nChrist. And he brought him to Jesus.\" After this we are told that\n\"Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.\" He was an\nacquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with\nthem. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of\nJesus.\n\nPhilip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he\nsaid, \"we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets\ndid write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.\" But Nazareth was a\ndespised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor\nopinion of the place, and he asked--\"Can there any good thing come\nout of Nazareth?\" Philip saith unto him--\"Come and see.\"\n\nAnd this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become\nChristians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus\nthat if people will only \"come and see,\" if they will only prove for\nthemselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it\nimpossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.\nAnd when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was\nconverted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying--\"Rabbi, thou\nart the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.\" We can read all\nabout this in John i: 43-51. Nathanael became a disciple of Jesus,\nand one of the twelve apostles, and is supposed to be the same one\nwho bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the\napostles.\n\nAfter this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a\ntax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his \"sitting at the receipt of\ncustom.\" \"Follow me,\" were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at\nonce; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this\nsame call, but they give the name of Levi to the person thus called.\nThis is not strange, for it was common among the Jews for persons to\nhave two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and\nsometimes by the other.\n\nHere we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of\nJesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow\nhim. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from\nsimply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words\nthat he spoke.\n\nAnd very soon after he had gathered together a large company of\ndisciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to\nbe his apostles. He wished these men to be with him all the time.\nThey were to hear his teaching, and see his miracles, and so be\nprepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should\nreturn to heaven.\n\nIt was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was\nappointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a\nnumber of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of\nWashington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think\nof--Jesus and his apostles.\n\nAnd this is the subject we have now to consider--_The Apostles\nChosen_.\n\nAnd in considering this subject there are four things of which to\nspeak.\n\n_The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus\nchose as his apostles.\n\nThe second, is the work these men were called to do.\n\nThe third, is the help that was given them in doing this work; and\n\nThe fourth, is the lesson taught us by this subject._ Or, to make the\npoints of the subject as short as possible, we may state them thus:\n\n_The men. The work. The help. The lesson.\n\nWe begin then with speaking of_--THE MEN--_or the condition and\ncharacter of those whom Jesus chose to be his apostles or helpers_.\n\nNow we might have thought that Jesus would have chosen his apostles,\nor helpers, from among the angels of heaven. They are so wise, and\ngood, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he\ndid not. He chose _men_ to be his apostles. And what kind of men did\nhe choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should\nhave supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the\nmost learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in\nthe world. But it was not so. Instead of this he chose poor men,\nunlearned men, men that were not famous at all; and who had not been\nheard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very\nhumble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his\napostles.\n\nAnd one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this\ncharacter to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no\none should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or\nriches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The\napostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally\nacts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He\nsays, \"God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound\nthe wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to\nconfound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which\nare despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring\nto nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his\npresence.\" I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God\nloves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose\npoor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working\nin the same way continually.\n\nLook at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that\nit might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives\ncomes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest\nneedle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them\ncan rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not\nhurt them the least. Here we see how God makes use of little things,\nand does a great work with them.\n\nAnd then look at yonder ocean. The waves of that ocean are so\npowerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men\nhave ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean\nin its place, he makes use of little grains of sand for this purpose.\nHere again we see how God employs little things, and does a great\nwork with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let\nus look at one or two illustrations.\n\n\"What a Plant Did.\" A little plant was given to a sick girl. In\ntrying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of\nliving, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,\nthey cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves\nof the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that\nfresh air might help the plant to grow; and this did the family good,\nas well as the plant. Next the clean window made the rest of the room\nlook so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and\narranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family\nto mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several\nevenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in\nthe evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the\nmoney thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as\ntheir home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than\never before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.\nWhat a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to\nthat family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making\nthem happy. And _that_ was work that an angel would have been glad to\ndo.\n\n\"Brought In by a Smile.\" A London minister said to a friend one day;\n\"Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they\nwere all brought in by a smile.\"\n\n\"Brought in by a smile! Pray what do you mean?\"\n\n\"Let me explain. Several months ago, as I passed a certain house on\nmy way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful\ninfant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and\nthe dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was\nagain before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,\nas before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the\nlittle one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown\nback to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the\nbaby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that\nthe nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family\npressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for\nthe dear baby--the household pet.\n\n\"One Sunday morning, as I passed, two children, a boy and a girl,\nstood at the window beside the baby. That morning the father and\nmother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we\nthink that the gentleman who always smiles to the baby is a minister.\nWhen he passes you may follow him, and see where he preaches.'\n\n\"The children were quite willing to follow the suggestion of their\nparents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children\nstepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my\nchurch, when they followed me, and seats were given them.\n\n\"When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly\nexclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he\npreached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him\nnext Sunday.'\n\n\"It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by\ntheir children they found their way to the church. They, too, were\npleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the\nhouse of God. God blessed what they heard to the good of their souls,\nand seven members of this family have been led to become Christians,\nand join the church, and, I repeat what I said before: 'they were all\nbrought in by a smile.'\"\n\nWhat a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use\nof so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to\nsave their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it\nmay well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the\nway in which he is working continually.\n\nHow eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been\nvery sweetly expressed in\n\nTHE MITE SONG.\n\n  \"Only a drop in the bucket,\n    But every drop will tell,\n  The bucket would soon be empty,\n    Without the drops in the well.\n\n  \"Only a poor little penny,\n    It was all I had to give;\n  But as pennies make the dollars,\n    It may help some cause to live.\n\n  \"A few little bits of ribbon,\n    And some toys--they were not new,\n  But they made the sick child happy,\n    And that made me happy, too.\n\n  \"Only some out-grown garments;\n    They were all I had to spare;\n  But they'll help to clothe the needy,\n    And the poor are everywhere.\n\n  \"A word now and then of comfort,\n    That cost me nothing to say;\n  But the poor old man died happy,\n    And it helped him on the way.\n\n  \"God loveth the cheerful giver,\n    Though the gifts be poor and small;\n  But what must he think of his children\n    Who never give at all?\"\n\nGod loves to work by little means. We see this when we think of the\nmen whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this\nsubject is--_the men_.\n\n_The second thing to speak of, in connection with this subject,\nis_--THE WORK--_they had to do_.\n\nWhat this work was we find fully stated in the fourteenth chapter of\nSt. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the\nwork they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the\nseventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated\njust what they were to do. \"As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of\nheaven is at hand; Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,\ncast out devils.\"\n\nOn this occasion Jesus sent his apostles to do the work committed to\nthem, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls\nthem--\"the lost sheep of the house of Israel,\" v. 5,6. But, after his\nresurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their\ncommission. His parting command to them then was--\"_Go ye into all\nthe world, and preach the gospel to every creature_.\" St. Mark xvi:\n15.\n\nWhen Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and\ncarry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to\nbegin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to\noverturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to\nshut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They\nwere to \"turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan\nunto God.\" Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,\neverywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in\ndoing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all\nwho believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back\nto Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has \"the heathen for\nhis inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his\npossession.\" Ps. ii: 8.\n\nThis was the grandest and most important work that men were ever\ncalled upon to do. The apostles spent their lives in doing this work;\nand then they left it for others to carry on. The work is not\nfinished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help\nto carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than\nthat in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means--one\n_sent_. But Jesus _sends_ into the vineyard to work for him all who\nbecome his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all\nwho love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of\nus--\"Go, work to-day, in my vineyard.\" St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in\nanother place he says--\"Let him that heareth, say, Come.\" Rev. xxii:\n17.\n\nAnd when we are trying to tell people of Jesus and his love, and to\nbring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great\nwork that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples\nof persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work\nof apostles.\n\n\"Aunt Lucy.\" I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State\nof Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and\nlives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.\nAll that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her\nnecessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she\ndistributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.\nThirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been\ngiven away--good, well-bound Bibles.\n\nA neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that\ntwo-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have\nafterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an\napostle.\n\n\"The Charcoal Carrier.\" One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little\ngirl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat\ndown to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting\nthere she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well\nknown in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by\nwith his donkey. Jacob used to work in the woods, making charcoal,\nwhich he carried away in sacks on his donkey's back, and sold. He was\nnot a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as\nhard on Sunday as on week-days.\n\nWhen he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and\nsaid, in a good-natured way:\n\n\"What book is that you are reading, my little maid?\"\n\n\"It is God's book--the Bible,\" said Mary.\n\n\"Let me hear you read a little in it, if you please,\" said he,\nstopping his donkey.\n\nMary began at the place where the book was open, and read:--\"Remember\nthe Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do\nall thy work.\"\n\n\"There, that's enough,\" said Jacob, \"and now tell me what it means.\"\n\n\"It means,\" said Mary, \"that you mustn't carry charcoal, on Sunday,\nnor let your donkey carry it.\"\n\n\"Does it?\" said Jacob, musing a little. \"I tell you what then, I must\nthink over what you have said.\"\n\nAnd he _did_ think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that\ninstead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he\nwent with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of\nit all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and\nGod's blessing rested on him and his family.\n\nLittle Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained\nthe Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.\n\n\"The Use of Fragments.\" In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there\nis a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of\nlittle pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as\nuseless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.\nAnd if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the\nlittle bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,\nwe may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We\nmay do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are\nsome sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful\nwindow, made out of the little pieces of glass:\n\n  \"Great things are made of fragments small,\n    Small things are germs of great;\n  And, of earth's stately temples, all\n    To fragments owe their weight.\n\n  \"This window, peer of all the rest,\n    Of fragments small is wrought;\n  Of fragments that the artist deemed\n    Unworthy of his thought.\n\n  \"And thus may we, of little things,\n    Kind words and gentle deeds,\n  Add wealth or beauty to our lives,\n    Which greater acts exceeds.\n\n  \"Each victory o'er a sinful thought,\n    Each action, true and pure,\n  Is, 'mid our life's engraving, wrought\n    In tints that shall endure.\"\n\nThe second thing about the apostles is, _the work_--they did.\n\n_The third thing, for us to notice about the apostles, is_--THE\nHELP--_they received_.\n\nIn one place, we are told that Jesus \"gave them power against unclean\nspirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and\nall manner of disease.\" St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,\nthat for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had\nto do, Jesus said to them, \"Lo, I am with you always, even unto the\nend of the world.\" St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus\nwith them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be\nsure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul\nunderstood this very well, for he said, \"I can do all things through\nChrist, which strengtheneth me.\" Phil. iv: 13.\n\nAnd then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus\npromised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in\ncarrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he\nsaid to the disciples--\"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy\nGhost is come upon you.\" Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in\nthe case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached\nafter the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the\nmeans of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.\n\nAnd the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has\npromised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work\nfor him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I\nmight refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and\nprecious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is\nno passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and\nencouragement in trying to work for God as this I refer here to Is.\nxli: 10. \"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I\nam thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea--I WILL HELP THEE.\" This\npromise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all\nGod's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve\nGod, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this\npromised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and\nbe happy in doing it.\n\n\"For Thine is the Power.\" \"I can't do it--it's quite impossible. I've\ntried five times, and can't get it right\"--and Ben Hartley pushed his\nbook and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at\nthe head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the\nsums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was\nafraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some\none at home to help them; but Ben had no one. His father was dead,\nand his mother, though a good Christian woman, had not been to school\nmuch when a girl, and she could not help Ben.\n\nMrs. Hartley felt sorry for her son's perplexity, and quietly said,\n\"Then, Ben, you don't believe in the Lord's prayer?\"\n\n\"The Lord's prayer, mother! Why, there's nothing there to help a\nfellow do his sums.\"\n\n\"O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the\nLord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long\ntime before I found out what the last part of this prayer really\nmeans. I'm no minister, or scholar, Ben, but I'll try and show you.\nYou know that in this prayer we ask God for our daily bread; we ask\nhim to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we\nsay: 'for _thine_ is the _kingdom_, and _the power_, and the glory.'\nIt's God's power that we rely on--not our own; and it often helps\nme, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For _thine_ is the\npower--this is my duty, heavenly Father; but I can't do it myself;\ngive me thy power to help me,' and he does it, Ben, he does it.\"\n\nBen sat silent. It seemed almost too familiar a prayer. And yet he\nremembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no\nclothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the\nminister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. \"But a boy's\nsums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about.\"\n\n\"Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at\nschool depends on your knowing how to do them. _That_, is as much to\nyou, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great\ndeal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven\nloves you more than I do. I would gladly help you, if I could; but he\n_can_ help you. His 'is the power;' ask him to help you.\"\n\nAfter doing an errand for his mother, Ben picked up his book and\nslate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he\nrepeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to--\"thine is the kingdom,\"\nhe stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart--\"'And thine\nis the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these\nsums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for\nJesus' sake, Amen.\"\n\nBen waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate\nand tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint\nJames says, \"If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to\nall men liberally, and upbraideth not: _and it shall be given him_.\"\nJas. i: 5. That is God's promise, and heaven and earth must pass away\nbefore one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help\nhim, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out\nthose sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the\nmistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the\nsums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked\nout beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was\nthe only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without\ngetting any one at home to help him.\n\n\"And yet I was helped, mother,\" said Ben, \"for I am sure my Father in\nheaven helped me.\" But that was not what the teacher meant. After\nthis, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he\nneeded help he knew where the power was that could help him.\n\nHere was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the\nhard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our\nwork if we only make a right use of this \"power which belongeth unto\nGod;\" and which he is always ready to use in helping us.\n\nThe help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think\nabout the apostles and their work.\n\n_The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his\ntwelve apostles, is_--THE LESSON--_it teaches us_.\n\nThere are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is\none so much more important than all the rest that we may very well\nlet them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about\nJesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important\nthing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at\nall. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the\ntwelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke\nsays--\"And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out\ninto a mountain to pray, and _continued all night in prayer to God_.\"\nAnd after this, the first thing he did, in the morning, was to call\nhis disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were\nto be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the\nsubject is:\n\n\"The Lesson of Prayer.\" Jesus spent the whole night in prayer to God,\nbefore he chose his apostles. How strange this seems to us! And yet\nit is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One\nwas because _he loved to pray_. We know how pleasant it is for us to\nmeet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer\nis--talking with God--telling him what we want, and asking his help.\nBut Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger\nthan we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of\nall things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his\nFather in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a\nhard duty to us, but a sweet privilege. We shall love to pray,\nbecause, in prayer we are talking to that blessed Saviour, \"whom,\nnot having seen, we love.\" And this was one reason why Jesus spent\nthe whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.\n\nBut there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer\nbefore performing this important work, and that was to _set us an\nexample_. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now\nspeaking--the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom\nJesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And\nyet, if _He_ felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any\nimportant work, how much more necessary it is for us to do so!\n\nLet us learn this lesson well. Let it be the rule and habit of our\nlives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us\nhappy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.\n\nHow full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by\nprayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.\n\nAbraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that\noverwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he\nwrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother\nEsau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had\ncherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.\nJoshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is\nborn. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a\nfamine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain\ndescends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.\nHe prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the\ninvisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and\neighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the\nunseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help\nGod gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for\nprayer, as given by our Saviour, is, \"that men ought _always_ to\npray,\" Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is--\"Praying\nalways, with all prayer,\" Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he\nsays--\"Pray without ceasing,\" I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen\nteach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an\ninscription on a tablet has been found, which, on being translated,\nproved to contain directions about prayer. It may be entitled:\n\n\"An Assyrian Call to Prayer.\" These are the words of the call:\n\n    \"Pray thou! pray thou!\n    Before the couch, pray!\n    Before the throne, pray!\n    Before the canopy, pray!\n    Before the building of the lofty head, pray!\n    Before the rising of the dawn, pray!\n    Before the fire, pray!\n    By the tablets and papyri, pray!\n    By the side of the river, pray!\n    By the side of a ship, or riding in a ship, or leaving the ship, pray!\n    At the rising of the sun, or the setting of the sun, pray!\n    On coming out of the city, on entering the city, pray!\n    On coming out of the great gate, on entering the great gate, pray!\n    On coming out of the house, pray! on entering the house, pray!\n    In the place of judgment, pray!\n    In the temple, pray!\"\n\nThis is like the Bible rule of--\"praying always.\"\n\n\"Praying for a Dinner.\" \"Grandma, aren't we going to church this\nmorning?\" asked a little girl.\n\n\"My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when\nwe come back,\" said her grandma.\n\n\"But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him,\" said the little\ngirl. \"Let's ask him.\" So they kneeled down, and asked that God, \"who\nfeedeth the young ravens when they cry,\" to remember them, and help\nthem.\n\nThen they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old\ngentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her\nquiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he\nslipped a half crown into her hand. \"See, Grandma,\" she said, as soon\nas they were out of church, \"Jesus has sent us our dinner.\"\n\nBut when we ask God to help us, we must always try to help ourselves.\n\n\"Working as well as Praying.\" Two little girls went to the same\nschool; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the\nother, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, \"Mary, how does\nit happen that you always say your lessons so well?\" Mary said she\nprayed over her lessons, and _that_ was the secret of her success.\n\nJane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than\never. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. \"But, did you\nstudy hard, as well as pray over your lesson?\" asked Mary.\n\n\"No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do,\" replied\nJane. \"Not at all. God only helps those who try to help themselves.\nYou must study hard as well as pray, if you wish to get your lessons\nwell,\" was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as\nprayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.\n\nThe greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to\nconvert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration\nof the way in which this may be done by prayer and effort combined:\n\n\"The Coachman and His Prayer.\" \"I was riding once, on the top of a\nstage-coach,\" said a Christian gentleman, \"when the driver by my side\nbegan to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's\nblessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him\nthis question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at\nfirst; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on\nSunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never\npray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit\nof praying to God.'\n\n\"As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would\npray now,' I said. '\"Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is\ndriving a coach!\"' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '\"What shall\nI pray?\"' he asked, in a low voice. 'Pray these words: '\"O Lord,\ngrant me thy Holy Spirit, for Christ's sake. Amen.\"' He hesitated,\nbut in a moment he repeated them; and then, at my request, he said\nthem over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was\nreached, and I left him.\n\n\"Some months passed away, and we met once more. 'Ah, Sir,' said he,\nwith a smile, 'the prayer you taught me on that coach-box was\nanswered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly\nhope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the\npower of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'\"\n\nAnd so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to\npreach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in\nconnection with them, viz.:--_the men_ whom he chose; _the work_ they\nhad to do; _the help_ given them in doing that work; and _the lesson_\nwe are taught by this subject--the lesson of prayer.\n\nWhatever we have to do, let us do it with all our hearts, and do it\nas for God, and then we shall be his apostles--his sent ones. Let me\nput the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,\npractical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of\nboys, but they apply just as well to girls. They are headed:\n\nDRIVE THE NAIL.\n\n  \"Drive the nail aright, boys,\n    Hit it on the head,\n  Strike with all your might, boys,\n    While the iron's red.\n\n  \"Lessons you've to learn, boys,\n    Study with a will;\n  They who reach the top, boys,\n    First must climb the hill.\n\n  \"Standing at the foot, boys,\n    Gazing at the sky,\n  How can you get up, boys,\n    If you never try?\n\n  \"Though you stumble oft, boys,\n    Never be downcast;\n  Try and try again, boys,\n    You'll succeed at last.\n\n  \"Ever persevere, boys,\n    Tho' your task be hard;\n  Toil and happy cheer, boys,\n    Bring their own reward.\n\n  \"Never give it up, boys,\n    Always say you'll try;\n  Joy will fill your cup, boys,\n    Flowing by and by.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE GREAT TEACHER\n\n\n\n\nTeaching was the great business of the life of Christ during the days\nof his public ministry. He was _sent_ to teach and to preach. The\nspeaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he\nasked--\"_Who teacheth like him_?\" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who\nwas in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the \"good, and upright\nLord\" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his\nways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet\nIsaiah was telling when he said--He would \"_teach us to profit_, and\n_would lead us by the way that we should go_.\" And thus we know how\ntrue was what Nicodemus said of him, that \"he was a _teacher sent\nfrom God_.\" John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came\ninto our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him\noccupied in teaching. And so he _was_ occupied, all through the days\nof his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that--\"Jesus went about\nall Galilee, _teaching_ in their synagogues.\" Ch. iv: 23. Further on\nin his gospel he tells us again that \"Jesus went about all the\ncities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues.\" Ch. ix: 35. When\non his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge\nagainst him that he had been--\"_teaching_ throughout all Jewry.\" Luke\nxxiii: 5. We read in one place that--\"the elders of the people came\nunto him _as he was teaching_.\" Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave\nthis account of his life work to his enemies--\"I sat _daily_ with you\n_teaching_ in the temple.\" Matt. xxvi: 55. And so we come now to look\nat the life of Christ from this point of view--as a Teacher. There\nnever was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his\nteaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests\nsent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto\nthem; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to\nhis preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they\ncould not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters\nwithout doing what they had been sent to do. \"And when the chief\npriests and Pharisees said unto them--Why have ye not brought him?\nThe officers answered, _Never man spake like this man_.\" Jesus was\nindeed--_The Great Teacher_. In this light we are now to look at him.\nAnd as we do this we shall find that there were _five_ great things\nabout his teaching which made him different from any other teacher\nthe world has ever known.\n\n_In the first place Jesus may well be called the Great Teacher,\nbecause of the_--GREAT BLESSINGS--_of which he came to tell_.\n\nWe find some of these spoken of at the opening of his first great\nsermon to his disciples, called \"The Sermon on the Mount.\" This is\nthe most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by\ntelling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from\nheaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in\nthe fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the\nchapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he\nopened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.\n\nIt was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in\nSunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class\nabout the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the\nsweetness of the words of Jesus, when \"He opened his mouth and\ntaught\" his disciples. \"How pleasant it must have been, my dear\nboys,\" said he, \"to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard\nhim speak!\"\n\nA serious-minded little fellow in the class said, \"Teacher, don't you\nthink that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his\ndisciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent\nbottle?\" I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of\nSolomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind\nwhen he said of this \"Great Teacher,\" \"thy name is _as ointment\npoured forth_.\" Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this\nointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we\nhad been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:--\"\nBlessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the\npure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers\"--and so on till he had\nspoken of _nine_ different kinds of blessing, we might have thought\nthat he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have\nseemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so\nfilled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told\nabout these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the\nblessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The\nblessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,\n\"If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be\nnumbered.\" Ps. xl: 5. And these blessings are not only very numerous,\nbut very _great_. Look at one or two of these blessings that Jesus,\nthe Great Teacher, brings to us. He says, \"Blessed are they that\nmourn, for they shall be comforted.\" Jesus came to bring comfort to\nthe mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah\nhad said of him that he would come to \"_comfort all that mourn_.\" Is.\nlxi: 2. And to show how complete this blessing would be which he was\nto bring, Jesus said himself--\"_As one whom his mother comforteth_\n--_so will I comfort you_.\" Is. lxvi: 13. A young girl was dying.\nA friend who came in to see her said:\n\n\"I trust you have a good hope.\"\n\n\"No,\" she answered, distinctly; \"I am not hoping--I am certain. My\nsalvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is\nmine. I am going to Jesus.\"\n\nWhat a great blessing it is to have comfort like that!\n\nWhen Jesus was speaking to the woman of Samaria, as he sat by Jacob's\nwell, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that\nwell. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: \"Whosoever drinketh\nof this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water\nthat I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall\ngive him, shall be _in him, a well of water, springing up unto\neverlasting life_.\" John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most\nbeautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was\nused. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in\nour garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of\nwater _in our hearts_. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with\nus. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us\nand the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is\na well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and\nits water is all the time \"springing up unto everlasting life.\" How\nhappy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!\n\nColeridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just\nbefore his death, said:\n\n\"Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a\ngreat blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving\nfriends and relatives, _but, the greatest, and best of all blessings\nis to be a Christian_.\"\n\nOne of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was\nJohn Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he\nis always spoken of as \"the learned Selden.\" On his deathbed he\nsaid--\"I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth\nknowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,\nnothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but\nthese precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy\nof all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save\nsinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and\ncomfort, and enables me to die happy.\"\n\nWilliam Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have\nbeen a blessing and an honor to England. When he was on his deathbed,\nhe said to a dear friend:\n\n\"Come, let us talk of heaven. Do not weep for me. I am very happy.\nBut I never knew what happiness was till I found Christ as my\nSaviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through\nall my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it\ncomforts me, and makes me happy.\"\n\nHere we see \"this well of water springing up unto everlasting life.\"\nAnd Jesus, who came to tell us of this water, and to open up this\nwell in our breasts, may well be called, \"the Great Teacher,\" because\nof the great blessings--of which he tells.\n\n_In the second place Jesus may be called \"the Great Teacher\" because\nof the_--GREAT SIMPLICITY--_of his teachings_.\n\nI do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus\ntaught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are\nnot simple. He said to his disciples, \"_I have yet many things to say\nunto you, but ye cannot bear them now_.\" John xvi: 12. This means\nthat there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished\nto tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although\nthey were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these\nthings. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there\nare some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have\nnever been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the\nBible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an\nelephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is\nshallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the\nteachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are\nso plain and simple that very young people can understand them.\n\nWe have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which\nJesus gave when he said,--\"_Come unto me, all ye that labor and are\nheavy laden, and I will give you rest._\" Matt. xi: 28. Very young\npeople know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or\nworking too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are\ntoo tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their\ndear mother and throw themselves into her arms, and find rest there.\nAnd, in just the same way, Jesus invites us to come to him when we\nare tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come\nto Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our\ntroubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his\npromises.\n\n  \"Was there ever gentlest shepherd\n    Half so gentle, half so sweet,\n  As the Saviour, who would have us\n    Come and gather round his feet?\n\n  \"There's a wideness in God's mercy,\n    Like the wideness of the sea;\n  There's a kindness in his justice\n    Which is more than liberty.\n\n  \"There is no place where earth's sorrows\n    Are more felt than up in heaven;\n  There is no place where earth's failings\n    Have such kindly judgments given.\n\n  \"There is plentiful redemption\n    In the blood that has been shed;\n  There is joy for all the members\n    In the sorrows of the head.\n\n  \"If our love were but more simple,\n    We should take him at his word;\n  And our lives would all be sunshine,\n    In the sweetness of our Lord.\"\n\nThe prophet Isaiah foretold that when Jesus came, he would teach his\ndoctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us\nthat his teaching was to be marked by great plainness and simplicity.\nAnd this was just the way in which he did teach when he uttered those\nloving words:--\"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, and\nforbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God._\" Mark x: 14.\nNone of the other famous teachers known to the world ever took such\ninterest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with\nsuch great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led\nto love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about\nchildren!\n\n\"The Child's Gospel.\" A little girl sat still in church listening to\nthe minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he\nquoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood\nthem. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her\nfeel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her\nmother's neck, who had been kept at home by sickness, and said, \"O,\nmother, I have heard the _child's gospel_ to-day.\"\n\n\"It's For Me.\" Little Carrie was a heathen child, about ten years\nold. After she had been going to the Mission School for some time,\nher teacher noticed, one day, that she looked sad.\n\n\"Carrie, my dear,\" she said, \"why do you look so sad to-day?\"\n\n\"Because I am thinking.\"\n\n\"And what are you thinking about?\"\n\n\"O, teacher, I don't know whether Jesus loves me, or not.\"\n\n\"Carrie, what did Jesus say about little children coming to him when\nhe was on earth?\"\n\nIn a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her\nlips--\"Suffer the little children to come unto me, &c.\"\n\n\"Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?\" At once she\nclapped her hands and exclaimed: \"It's not for you, teacher, is it?\nfor you are not a child. No: it's for me! it's for me!\"\n\nAnd so this dear child was drawn to Jesus by the power of his love.\nAnd thus, through all the hundreds of years that have passed away\nsince \"Jesus was here among men,\" these same simple words have been\ndrawing the little ones to him.\n\nAnd so, because of the great simplicity which marked his teaching,\nJesus must truly be called--the Great Teacher.\n\n_But in the third place there was_--GREAT TENDERNESS--_in Jesus, and\nthis was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher_.\n\nIt was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our\nTeacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like\nus. He might have come into our world in the form of a mighty angel,\nwith his face shining like the sun, as he appeared when the disciples\nsaw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been\nafraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not\nhave felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take\nour nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our\nplace, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to\nhelp and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,\nwhen he says--\"Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and\nblood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.\" He did this\non purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are\ntried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us\nin all our trials.\n\nHere is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that\nillustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a\nstory about:\n\n\"A Lost Horse Found.\" A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a\nfarmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try\nand find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields\nof the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the\nhorse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that\nneighborhood as \"simple Sam,\" started to hunt the horse. After awhile\nhe came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the\nhorse was delighted to see him. He stroked and patted him, and then,\nturning to the simple-minded man who had found him, he said:\n\n\"Well, Sam, how came you to find the horse, when no one else could do\nit?\"\n\n\"Wal, you see,\" said Sam, \"I just 'quired whar the horse was seen\nlast; and then I went thar, and sat on a rock; and just axed mysel',\nif I was a horse, whar would I go, and what would I do? And then I\nwent, and found him.\" Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble\nmind, tried to put himself, as far as he could, in the horse's place,\nthis helped him to find the lost horse, and bring him back to his\nowner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great\none, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners\nthat were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put\nhimself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: \"he who\nknew no sin, was made sin for us,\" that he might save us from the\ndreadful consequences of our sins.\n\nAnd we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature\nupon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this\nworld as a man. \"_He went about doing good_.\" It was his great\ntenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have\nwalked about with Jesus when he was on earth as the apostles did.\nJust think for a moment what we should have seen. We should have seen\nhim meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might\nsee. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping\ntheir ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick\npeople who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing\nthem. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out\ndevils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who\nwere sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed\nface, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and\nspeaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have\nlistened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running\nthrough all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a\nsample of his way of teaching--the parable of the lost sheep--and see\nhow full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the\nshepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring\nout the tenderness of Jesus here very touchingly.\n\n  \"There were ninety and nine that safely lay\n    In the shelter of the fold,\n  But one was out on the hills away,\n    Far off from the gates of gold--\n  Away on the mountains, wild and bare,\n  Away from the tender shepherd's care.\n\n  \"'Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;\n    Are they not enough for Thee?'\n  But the Shepherd made answer: 'One of mine\n    Has wandered away from me;\n  And, although the road be rough and steep,\n  I go to the desert to find my sheep.'\n\n  \"But none of the ransomed ever knew\n    How deep were the waters crossed;\n  Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through,\n    Ere he found his sheep that was lost.\n  Out in the desert he heard its cry--\n  Sick and helpless, and ready to die.\n\n  \"'Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way\n    That mark out the mountain's track?'\n  They were shed for one who had gone astray,\n    Ere the shepherd could bring him back.\n  'Lord, why are Thy hands so rent and torn?'\n  They are pierced, to-night, by many a thorn.\n\n  \"But all through the mountains, thunder-riven,\n    And up from the rocky steep,\n  There rose a cry to the gates of heaven,\n    'Rejoice! I have found my sheep!'\n  And the angels echoed around the throne,\n  'Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own.'\"\n\nAnd all that we know of Jesus as \"the good Shepherd,\" demonstrates\nhis great tenderness for his sheep.\n\nBut perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer\nthat showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in\nhis arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.\n\nTo think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and\nwhom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in\nthe little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.\n\n\"I Like Your Jesus.\" An English lady who had spent six months in\nSyria, writes: \"Going through the places where the Mohammedans live,\nyou continually hear the girls singing our beautiful hymns in Arabic.\nThe attractive power of Christ's love is felt even by the little\nones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated\nthe text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,\nbecause he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little\nchildren.'\"\n\nAnd if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we\nmay have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being\ntender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do\ngood wherever we are.\n\n\"Doing Good by Sympathy.\" A Christian mother used to ask her children\nevery night if they had done any good during the day. One night in\nanswer to this question, her little daughter said: \"At school this\nmorning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some\ntime, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she\ncried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and\ncrying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her\nlittle baby brother, whom she loved so much; how sick he had been;\nand how much pain he had suffered, till he died and was buried. Then\nshe hid her face in her book, and cried, as if her heart would break.\nI could not help putting my face on the other page of the book, and\ncrying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told\nme I had done her good. But, mother, I don't know how I did her good;\n_for I only cried with her!_\"\n\nNow this little girl was showing the tenderness of Jesus, the Great\nTeacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing\nchild so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears\nof tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible\ntells us to \"weep with them that weep.\" Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this\nin the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things\nthat made him the Great Teacher.\n\n_But then there was_--GREAT KNOWLEDGE--_in Jesus; and this was\nanother thing that made him great as a teacher_.\n\nIf we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand\nthe things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a\nminister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in\nthe Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of\nthe Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus\nnever went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had\ngreater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any\nother teacher ever had. We are told in the book of Job that \"He is\n_perfect_ in knowledge.\" Job xxxvi: 5. And the apostle Paul tells us\nthat \"in him are hid _all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge_.\"\nCol. ii: 3. This is more than can be said of any man, or any angel.\nIf we could take all the knowledge of all the best teachers who ever\nlived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to\nthe knowledge which Jesus, \"the Great Teacher\" had. He knew all about\nheaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our\nworld. He knew all about God; for, he was \"in the bosom of the\nFather,\" John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his\nglory with him, \"before the world was.\" John xvii: 5. He knew all\nabout the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all\nabout all other worlds, for he made them, too. John i: 3; Heb. i: 2.\nHe knew all about his disciples and every body else in the world, for\nhe made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he\nknew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been\nstudying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about\ngeography and natural history--and astronomy;--about light, and heat,\nand electricity--and steam--and the telegraph, and many other things.\nJesus knew all about these things when he was on earth. He could have\ntold about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us\nwhat it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and\nkept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he\nwas here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to\nthink of the things that he might have taught us, and yet did not.\nWhen we think of the great knowledge of Jesus, as a Teacher, we are\nnot surprised that some of those who heard him \"wondered at the\ngracious words\" he spake; or that others asked the question: \"Whence\nhath this man this knowledge, having never learned?\"\n\nSome one has written these sweet lines about Christ as--_The Great\nTeacher_:\n\n    \"From everything our Saviour saw,\n    Lessons of wisdom he could draw;\n    The clouds, the colors in the sky;\n    The gentle breeze that whispers by;\n    The fields all white with waving corn;\n    The lilies that the vale adorn;\n    The reed that trembles in the wind;\n    The tree, where none its fruit could find;\n    The sliding sand, the flinty rock,\n    That bears unmoved the tempest's shock;\n    The thorns that on the earth abound;\n    The tender grass that clothes the ground;\n    The little birds that fly in air;\n    The sheep that need the shepherd's care;\n    The pearls that deep in ocean lie;\n    The gold that charms the miser's eye;\n    The fruitful and the thorny ground;\n    The piece of silver lost and found;\n    The reaper, with his sheaves returning;\n    The gathered tares prepared for burning;\n    The wandering sheep brought back with joy;\n    The father's welcome for his boy;\n    The wedding-feast, prepared in state;\n    The foolish virgins' cry, 'too late!'--\n    All from his lips some truth proclaim,\n    Or learn to tell their Maker's name.\"\n\nBut the difference between Jesus, the Great Teacher, and all other\nteachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the\nthings that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make\nus understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that\nillustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:\n\n\"The Well Instructed Boy.\" A minister of the gospel was travelling\nthrough the wildest part of Ireland. There he met a shepherd's boy,\nnot more than ten or twelve years old. He was poorly clad, with no\ncovering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he\nlooked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. \"Can you\nread, my boy?\" asked the minister.\n\n\"To be sure I can.\"\n\n\"And do you understand what you read?\"\n\n\"A little.\"\n\n\"Please turn to the third chapter of St. John, and read us a little,\"\nsaid the minister. The boy found the place directly, and in a clear\ndistinct voice, began:\n\n\"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the\nJews; the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi.\"\n\n\"What does Rabbi mean?\"\n\n\"It means a master.\"\n\n\"Right; go on.\"\n\n\"We know thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these\nmiracles that thou doest, except God be with him.\"\n\n\"What is a _miracle_?\"\n\n\"It is a _great wonder_. 'Jesus answered and said unto him, verily,\nverily, I say unto thee.'\"\n\n\"What does _verily_ mean?\"\n\n\"It means 'indeed.' 'Except a man be born again.'\"\n\n\"What does that mean?\"\n\n\"It means a great change, a change of heart.\"\n\n\"Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.\"\n\n\"And what is that kingdom?\"\n\nHe paused a moment, and with a very serious, thoughtful look, placing\nhis hand on his bosom, he said, \"It is _something here_;\" and then,\nraising his eyes to heaven, added, \"_and something up yonder_.\" This\npoor boy had been taking lessons from \"the Great Teacher,\" and he had\ntaught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.\nJesus may well be called \"the Great Teacher,\" because of his great\nknowledge.\n\n_But there is one other thing that Jesus has, which helps to make him\n\"the Great Teacher,\" and that is_--GREAT POWER.\n\nOther teachers can tell us what we ought to learn, and to do, yet\nthey have no power to help us learn, or do what they teach. But Jesus\n_has_ this power. Let us take a single illustration from many of the\nsame kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going\nabout teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed\nby the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman\ngovernment. The persons who did this were called _publicans_. This\nman, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged\nin receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable\nbusiness. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.\nJesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned\nto Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:--\"_Follow me_.\"\n\nNow, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had\ntried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he\nwould have said: \"No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means\nI have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not\nwilling to give it up.\" But when Jesus spoke to him, he did, at once,\nwhat he was told to do. We read that \"He left all, rose up, and\nfollowed him.\" Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve\napostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the\ngreat power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew\nwilling to do, at once, what he was told to do.\n\nAnd the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he\nstill has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power\nthe very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,\n\"the Great Teacher,\" uses this power sometimes in connection with\nvery simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:\n\n\"Saved by a Rose.\" Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the\nhabit of visiting one of our prisons. It occurred to him, one day,\nthat it would be a good thing to have a flowering plant in the little\nyard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of\nthe prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each\nyard, and a flower pot, with a plant in it, placed on each bracket.\nOne of these prisoners was worse than all the rest. He was the most\nhardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so\nviolent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the\nprison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such\na disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison\nwas \"Ugly Greg.\" A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly\nGreg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple\nlines, which some one has written about it:\n\n    \"Ugly Greg was the prisoner's name,\n    Ugly in face, and in nature the same;\n    Stubborn, sullen, and beetle-browed,\n    The hardest case in a hardened crowd.\n    The sin-set lines in his face were bent\n    Neither by kindness nor punishment;\n    He hadn't a friend in the prison there,\n    And he grew more ugly and didn't care.\n\n    \"But some one--blessings on his name!\n    Had caused to be placed in that house of shame,\n    To relieve the blank of the white-washed wall,\n    Flower-pot brackets, with plants on them all.\n    Though it seemed but a useless thing to do,\n    Ugly Greg's cell had a flower-pot, too,\n    And as he came back at the work-day's close,\n    He paused, astonished, before a rose.\n\n    \"'He will smash it in pieces,' the keeper said,\n    But the lines on his face grew soft instead.\n    Next morning he watered his plant with care,\n    And went to his work with a cheerful air;\n    And, day by day, as the rose-bush grew,\n    Ugly Greg began changing, too.\n\n    \"The soft, green leaves unfolded their tips,\n    And the foul word died on the prisoner's lips;\n    He talked to the plant, when all alone,\n    As he would to a friend, in a gentle tone;\n    And, day by day, and week by week,\n    As the rose grew taller, so Greg grew meek.\n\n    \"But, at last they took him away to lie\n    On a hospital bed, for they knew he must die,\n    They placed the rose in the sunny light,\n    Where Greg might watch it, from morn till night,\n    And the green buds grew, from day to day,\n    As the sick man faded fast away.\n\n    \"The lines which sin and pain had traced,\n    Seemed by the shadowing plant effaced,\n    Till, came at last, the joyful hour,\n    When they knew that the bud must burst its flower.\n    Greg slept, but still one hand caressed\n    The plant; the other his pale cheek pressed.\n    The perfumed crimson shed a glow\n    On the old man's hair, as white as snow;\n    The nurse came softly--'Look, Greg!' she said,\n    Ay, the rose had bloomed, but the man was dead.\"\n\nAnd the meaning of all this is, not that the rose itself saved this\nhardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his\nchildhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, \"the Rose of\nSharon\". It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of\nthem; to pray to Jesus; to exercise faith in him; and in _this way_\nhe became a changed man, and was saved. And so, though we speak of\nhim as--\"a man saved by a rose;\" yet it was the power of Jesus, \"the\nGreat Teacher,\" exercised through that rose, which led to this\nblessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.\n\nAnd thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the\ngreatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are--The Great Blessings--The\nGreat Simplicity--The Great Tenderness--The Great Knowledge--and the\nGreat Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that\nwill enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our\nsouls!\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES\n\n\n\n\n\nWe have spoken of our Saviour as \"The Great Teacher,\" and tried to\npoint out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him\ngreat. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations\nwhich he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. Our\nSaviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the\nGreek word from which we get the word parable. It means something\n_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we are\nsetting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is\na hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an\nillustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it\nplain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.\n\nAt the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use\nof parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made\na change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use\nparables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one\noccasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to\ntheir Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in\nparables? We have our Saviour's answer to this question in St. Matt,\nxiii: 11-18. And it is a remarkable answer. The meaning of it is that\nhe used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really\nwished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The\nother was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen\nto him without understanding what he was saying. These people had\nheard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of\nthanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do\nwhat he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and\nwould not mind what he said.\n\nNow, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to\nlearn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in\nwhich we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible\nteaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in\nour hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter\nso much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a\nlesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether\nyou are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if\nyou only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that\nlesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus\nteaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you\nare giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can\nnever learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these\nlessons unless we have the special help of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit.\nBut this help can never be had while we give way to wrong feelings in\nour hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not\nneed the _special_ help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we\nonly try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this\nway. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--\"The _meek_ will\nhe teach his way.\" Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant\nwhen he said: \"If any man will do his will, _he shall know_.\" St.\nJohn vii: 17. We must be willing to be taught;--and willing to obey;\nif we wish to understand what Jesus, \"The Great Teacher,\" has to tell\nus.\n\nSome one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the\nkernel hid away in a nut. The parable, like the shell of the nut,\ncovers up the kernel. Those who really want the kernel will crack the\nshell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell\nwill never get the kernel. The shell of the nut keeps the kernel safe\n_for_ one of these persons, and safe _from_ the others.\n\nBut, after the time of which we have spoken, Jesus used parables\nfreely. We are told that--\"without a parable spake he not unto the\npeople.\" St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for\ntwo reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to remember\nwhat he taught them.\n\nWe have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full\nlist of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easy\nenough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would\nmake a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are\nnow engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.\nWe can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may\nspeak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the\nparables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's love\nof sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the\neffect of good example_.\n\n_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THE\nVALUE OF RELIGION--_in his parables._\n\nThe parable of The Treasure Hid in the Field teaches us this truth.\nWe find this parable in St. Matt. xiii: 44. Here Jesus says, \"The\nkingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which\nwhen a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and\nselleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.\" The words \"kingdom\nof heaven\" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as\nhere, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus\nteaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable\nthan anything else in the world.\n\nThe next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the\nsame chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the\nsame lesson. It reads thus:--\"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a\nmerchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl\nof great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.\" By this\n\"pearl of great price\" Jesus meant true religion, as he did by the\ntreasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he\nteaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to\nus than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents\nthat may help to illustrate for us the value of religion.\n\n\"Jesus Makes Everything Right.\" A poor lame boy became a Christian,\nand in telling what effect this change had upon him, these are the\nwords he used to a person who was visiting him: \"Once every thing\nwent wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister\nwas wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and\nlove Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong\nbefore:--it was because I was wrong myself.\" And this is true. The\nfirst thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right\nourselves, and then to _do_ right to others.\n\n\"Be.\" A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had\nnot succeeded. Her mother said, \"Marian, my child, God gives us many\nthings to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things\nto _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, before\nwe can _do_ what God would have us do.\"\n\n\"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know\nbetter about doing.\"\n\n\"Well, listen my child, while I remind you of some of the Bible be's:\nGod says:\n\n\"_Be_--ye kindly affectioned one to another.\"\n\n\"_Be_--ye also patient.\"\n\n\"_Be_--ye thankful.\"\n\n\"_Be_--ye children in malice.\"\n\n\"_Be_--ye therefore perfect.\"\n\n\"_Be_--courteous.\"\n\n\"_Be_--not wise in your own conceits.\"\n\n\"_Be_--not overcome of evil.\"\n\n\"Thank you, dear mother,\" said Marian. \"I hope I shall have a better\nday to-morrow; for I see now that _doing_ grows out of _being_.\"\n\nThis is a point worth dwelling on, and so I will introduce to your\nnotice here:\n\nA SWARM OF BEES WORTH HIVING.\n\n    \"Be patient, Be prayerful, Be humble, Be mild,\n    Be wise as a Solon, Be meek as a child.\n\n    \"Be studious, Be thoughtful, Be loving, Be kind,\n    Be sure you make matter subservient to mind.\n\n    \"Be cautious, Be prudent, Be trustful, Be true,\n    Be courteous to all men, Be friendly with few.\n\n    \"Be temperate in argument, pleasure and wine,\n    Be careful of conduct, of money, of time.\n\n    \"Be cheerful, Be grateful, Be hopeful, Be firm,\n    Be peaceful, benevolent, willing to learn;\n\n    \"Be courageous, Be gentle Be liberal, Be just,\n    Be aspiring, Be humble, because you are dust.\n\n    \"Be penitent, circumspect, sound in the faith,\n    Be active, devoted; Be faithful to death.\n\n    \"Be honest, Be holy, transparent and pure;\n    Be dependent, Be Christ-like and you'll be secure.\"\n\nHere is a swarm of between forty and fifty bees. The religion of\nJesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the\nvalue of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try\nand secure it!\n\nI think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is\nseen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by\nwhom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to\nwhich we owe all the blessings of salvation--the sign of\n\nTHE CROSS.\n\n    \"Blest they who seek\n    While in their youth,\n    With spirit meek,\n    The way of truth.\n    To them the sacred scriptures now display\n    Christ as the only true and living way;\n    His precious blood on Calvary was given\n    To make them heirs of endless bliss in Heaven.\n    And e'en on earth the child of God can trace\n    The glorious blessings of the Saviour's grace.\n    For them He bore\n    His Father's frown;\n    For them He wore\n    The thorny Crown;\n    Nailed to the Cross,\n    Endured its pain,\n    That his life's loss\n    Might be their gain.\n    Then haste to choose\n    That better part,\n    Nor dare refuse\n    The Lord thy heart,\n    Lest he declare,--\n    'I know you not,'\n    And deep despair\n    Should be your lot.\n    Now look to Jesus, who on Calvary died,\n    And trust on him who there was crucified.\"\n\n\"Leaving it All with Jesus.\" Annie W ... was a young Christian. In\nher fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which\nthe doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to\nleave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors\nto come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and\nhis great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a\nChristian, came in to see her.\n\n\"You are very ill, my dear,\" she said to Annie.\n\n\"Yes,\" she replied, \"but I shall soon be well.\"\n\nThe poor woman shook her head as she looked at Annie's mother,\nsaying, \"Poor dear creature; she cannot possibly get well. No: she\nwill never get over it.\" Then turning to Annie, she said:\n\n\"Don't you know, my dear, that you are going to die?\"\n\n\"I know I am going to live,\" she said with a sweet smile. \"I shall\nsoon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him.\"\n\n\"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure you\nknow,\" said the poor woman.\n\n\"Oh,\" said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her\nbed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--\"I leave\nit all with Jesus.\" \"That's what I do! That's what I do.\" These are\nthe words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on\nher dying bed:\n\n  \"I leave it all with Jesus,\n    Then wherefore should I fear?\n  I leave it all with Jesus,\n    And he is ever near.\n\n  \"I leave it all with Jesus,\n    Trust him for what must be;\n  I leave it all with Jesus,\n    Who ever thinks of me.\n\n  \"I bring it all to Jesus,\n    In calm, believing prayer;\n  I bring it all to Jesus,\n    And I love to LEAVE it there!\n\n  \"Each tear, each sigh, each trouble,\n    Each disappointment,--all\n  I love to GIVE to Jesus,\n    Who loves to TAKE them all.\"\n\nAnd here we have a beautiful illustration of one of the things which\nJesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_.\n\n_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FOR\nSINNERS.\n\nThe parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had\noccasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the\ntenderness of Christ, as the Great Teacher, we may let that pass now.\nBut the parable of the lost piece of money teaches the same lesson.\nWe have this parable in St. Luke xv: 8th and 9th verses. Here we are\ntold of a woman who had ten pieces of silver, and lost one of them.\nThen she laid the others aside, and searched diligently for the lost\npiece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece\nof money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman\nto find the lost piece represent what Jesus did, when he left heaven,\nand took our nature upon him, and came as \"the Son of man to _seek\nand to save that which was lost_.\" And it was the love of Jesus for\npoor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything\nconnected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the\ngreatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we\nsee the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;\nthere we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of\nshame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus.\n\nAnd the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We\nread of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had\nbeen disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father\ngave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And\nwhen the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went\nback to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And\ninstead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his\nfather saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took\noff his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast\nfor him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ\nfor sinners!\n\nAnd when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does\ntwo blessed things for us.\n\nOne is, _it makes us good_. We hear a great deal about _conversion_.\nThis word conversion simply means--_turning_. When a person has been\nliving without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how\nwrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to\nturn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that is\nconversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief\nmeans that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel\nin which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Here\nis an illustration of what this means.\n\n\"He Loved Me.\" An English minister of the gospel was traveling in\nSwitzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached\nby means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he\npreached from the words, \"_He loved me, and gave himself for me_.\"\nGal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had\nfollowed from his preaching.\n\nOne Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this\nchurch was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his\ndoor. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young\nman, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,\nand the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him\nin, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his\nsurprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might\ncome to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be\ncelebrated in his church the next day!\n\n\"But are you not aware, my young friend,\" said the minister, \"that\nonly those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any\nright to come to that holy ordinance?\"\n\n\"I know it, sir,\" said the young man, \"and I am thankful to feel\nthat I am among that number.\"\n\n\"But,\" asked the astonished pastor, \"are you not known in this\nvillage as the ringleader in all evil doings?\"\n\n\"Alas! it is too true that it has been so,\" he replied, \"but thank\nGod all is changed now.\"\n\n\"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this\ngreat change.\"\n\n\"I was in your church, sir,\" said he, \"some weeks ago, when that\nEnglish minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave\nhimself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the\nlove of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I\nwish to show my love to Jesus by trying to serve and please him.\"\n\nHere we see how the love of Christ makes us good.\n\nBut it _makes us happy_, as well as good. Here is a little story that\nillustrates this point very well. We may call it:\n\n\"Maggie's Secret.\" \"Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be\nso provokingly good?\" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was\none of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated\na moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she\nlifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and\nsaid--\"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie.\"\n\n\"But do you think he cares?\" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued\nvoice,--\"do you think he cares how we act?\"\n\n\"I _know_ he does,\" said Maggie. \"And it makes it so pleasant you\nsee, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at\nme, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always\nhelps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You\nknow I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had\nlearned them well.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in\nthat respect.\n\n\"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he\nhelped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable\nthings are pleasant when I think of doing them for him.\"\n\nJennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such\na bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was\ndoing everything \"for Jesus' sake.\"\n\nShe felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as\nMaggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for\nherself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for\nher own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come\nover Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had\njoined the church, they understood it all. They knew she \"had been\nwith Jesus;\" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful\nlove which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.\n\nAnd so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he\ntaught the parables which show his love for sinners.\n\n_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE\nDUTY OF KINDNESS.\n\nOne day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the\ngreat question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus\nreferred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he\ntold the young man that these commandments required him to love God\nwith all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he\nwould do this he would be saved.\n\nThis is perfectly true. Any one would be saved who would do this.\nBut no one ever has done this except our blessed Lord Himself. He\n\"magnified the law and made it honorable\" by keeping it perfectly. I\nsuppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about\nthe commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never\ncould keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them\nfor him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any one\nelse could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want\nto hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the\nconversation a different turn by asking--\"who is my neighbor?\" when\nJesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer\nto this question Jesus told the parable of the \"Good Samaritan.\" We\nhave this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.\n\nHere we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem\nto Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;\nand left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and\nsuffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed\nby on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told\nthat a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded\nman lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the\nSamaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up\nto him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and\ncarried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said\nthat he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,\n\"Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that\nfell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then\nsaid Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.\"\n\nThus Jesus taught the duty of kindness. This kindness we must show,\nnot to our friends only, but to our enemies. _Kindness to all_ is the\nduty that Jesus teaches.\n\nLet us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should\ndo this.\n\n\"The Honey Shield.\" It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a\nperson whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed\nto the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and\nfaces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield\nthey can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here\nvery well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.\nIf kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through\nall our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect\nus from the spiteful stings of wicked people.\n\n\"Androcles and the Lion.\" Most of those who read these pages may have\nheard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that\nI do not hesitate to use it here.\n\nAndrocles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his\nmaster he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his\nhome for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near\nthe mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting\nnearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had\nrun into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and\nwas causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.\nHe drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His\nnature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown\nto him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey\nwith him while they remained together.\n\nBut, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was\ntaken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a\nprisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and\nfinally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be\ndevoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had\nbeen kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door\nof his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The\nColosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor\nslave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,\nthe great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the\ncondemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet\ndog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the\nforest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The\nkindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved\nhis life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from\nthe savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear\nit wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in\nthis parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet\nlines:\n\nTHE LESSON OF KINDNESS.\n\n    \"Think kindly of the erring!\n    Thou knowest not the power\n    With which the dark temptation came\n    In some unguarded hour;\n    Thou knowest not how earnestly\n    They struggled, or how well,\n    Until the hour of weakness came,\n    And sadly then they fell.\n\n    \"Speak kindly to the erring!\n    Thou yet may'st lead him back\n    With holy words, and tones of love,\n    From misery's thorny track:\n    Forget not _thou_ hast often sinned\n    And sinful yet must be:--\n    Deal kindly with the erring one\n    As God hath dealt with thee!\"\n\nThe duty of kindness was the third lesson Jesus taught in the\nparables.\n\n_A fourth lesson taught us in some of the parables of Jesus is_----\nTHE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS.\n\nThe apostle Peter came to Jesus one day, and asked him how often he\nought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be\nenough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, \"I say\nnot unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.\"\n\nSt. Matt. 18: 22. Then Jesus spoke the parable of the two debtors.\nSt. Matt. 18: 23-35. One of these owed his master ten thousand\ntalents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more\nthan fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they\nwould amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt\nwas so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely\nforgave him. But not long after, he found one of his fellow-servants,\nwho owed him a hundred pence, or about fifteen dollars of our money.\nThe man asked him to forgive him the debt. He would not do it; but\nput him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and\nput him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all\nhis great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--\"_so\nlikewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your\nhearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses_.\" And here\nwe are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is\ntaught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--\"Forgive us our\ntrespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us.\" If we\nuse this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so\nusing it, we are really asking God _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus\n_practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on\nthe cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he\nlooked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--\"_Father\nforgive them; for they know not what they do_.\" Here we have the best\nillustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.\n\n\"Example of Forgiveness.\" In a school in Ireland, one boy struck\nanother. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the\ninjured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked--\"Why do you\nwish to keep him from being flogged?\" The ready reply was--\"Because I\nhave read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that\nwe must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg\nthat he may not be punished for my sake.\"\n\n\"Good for Evil.\" At the foot of a street in New York, stood an\nItalian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered\nround him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear\nmusic. One of them said to his companions:\n\n\"See! I'll hit his hat!\"\n\nAnd sure enough he did. Making up a snow ball, he threw it with so\nmuch force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A\ngentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear\nat the boy. But, very different from this was the result that\nfollowed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his\nhat. Then he turned to the rude boy, and gracefully bowing, said:\n\n\"And now, I'll play you a tune to make you merry!\" There was real\nChristian forgiveness.\n\n\"The Power of the Gospel.\" Years ago some carpenters moved to the\nIsland of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their\nbusiness. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission\nStations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,\nengaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work\nwas done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the\ncarpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to\nget out of the shop. \"Don't be angry,\" was the gentle reply; \"I have\nonly come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my\nwages from him.\" \"But I _am_ angry.\" And then taking hold of the New\nZealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel\nmanner.\n\nThe native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he\njumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from\nthe bench, flourished it threateningly over his head. \"Now, you see,\"\nsaid he, \"your life is in my hand. You see my arm is strong enough to\nkill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have\nheard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your\nlife to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as\nit was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your\nhead in an instant!\"\n\nThen he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from\nhim a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man\nwas practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!\n\n_The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our\nSaviour in the parables, is_--THE INFLUENCE OF GOOD EXAMPLE.\n\nThe parable which teaches this lesson is that of the lighted candle.\nIt is one of the shortest of our Lord's parables, and yet the truth\nit teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the\nsermon on the mount. These are the words in which it is given:\n\"Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a\ncandlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let\nyour light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,\nand glorify your Father which is in heaven.\" Matt, v: 15. This\nparable is so important that we find it repeated in three other\nplaces. Mark iv: 21, Luke viii: 16, and xi: 33.\n\nWe find the same idea taught by one of England's greatest writers.\nLooking at a candle shining through a window, he says:\n\n    \"How far yon little candle throws its beam!\n    So shines a good deed in a naughty world.\"\n\nAnd the lesson we are here taught is that we should always set a good\nexample by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle\nshining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us\nlook at one or two incidents that illustrate this.\n\n\"A Boy's Influence.\" Two families lived in one house. In each of\nthese families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys\nslept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained\nhim to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his\nprayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which\nshe had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little\nboy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as\nhis companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave\nand noble boy. He said to himself--\"I am not afraid to do what my\nmother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to\nGod. I'll do as I have been taught to do.\" He did so. He let his\nlight shine. And see what followed from its shining!\n\nThe little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his\ncompanion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and\nhe never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When\nhe lay on his deathbed, quite an aged man, he sent for the friend,\nwhose prayer he had learned, to come and see him, and told him that\nit was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they\nwere boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the\nprayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked\nhis friend for letting his light shine as he did, for _that_ had\nsaved his soul.\n\nHere is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine\nand the good that was done by it. We may call it:\n\n\"The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It.\" Some years ago a\nChristian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a\nrich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the\nfirst evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and\ntelling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to\nbring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house\nto be kind enough to lend him one.\n\nNow that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid\npictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and\non the tables in the parlor; but there was not a Bible in the house.\nThe lady felt ashamed to own that she had no Bible. So she gave the\nservant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the\ncorner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the\ngentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little\nknowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.\n\nWhen he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to\nherself:\n\n\"How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could\nnot bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I\nnever read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious\nto know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean\nto begin and read it through.\" She began to read it at first out of\nsimple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply\ninterested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living\nwithout God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon\nof her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then\nshe desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.\nShe prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the\nprecious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was\nthat, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.\nAnd so _that whole family were saved by means of that shilling\nBible_.\n\nWhen that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where\nhe was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his\ncandle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that\nfollowed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's\nwords when he said:--\"Let your light so shine before men, that they\nmay see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.\"\n\nAnd so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other\nthings illustrated by them, we can think of these,--_the value of\nreligion;--Christ's love for sinners;--the duty of kindness;--the\nduty of forgiveness;--the influence of a good example_.\n\nI know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the\nhymn:\n\n  \"Father of mercies! in thy word,\n    What endless glory shines!\n  Forever be thy name adored\n    For these celestial lines.\n  O, may these heavenly pages be\n    My ever dear delight;\n  And still new beauties may I see,\n    And still increasing light.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES\n\n\n\n\n\nWe have seen how many valuable lessons our Saviour taught while on\nearth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as\nwell as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit\nthe truth of it, that \"Actions speak louder than words.\" If our words\nand our actions contradict each other, people will believe our\nactions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the\neffect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was\nan entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words\nand his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his\nlife--were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.\n\nBut then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of\nChrist, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was\ndaily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful\nworks. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed\nmiracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of\nChrist differed from those performed by others. One was as to the\n_number_ of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than\nanyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done\nby Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that\nwere done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all\ntogether we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the\nmiracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty\nworks wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as\nSt. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.\n\nThe other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from\nthose performed by other persons, is _the way in which they were\ndone_. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name\nof God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at\nthe gate of the temple they said:--\"_In the name of Jesus Christ of\nNazareth_, rise up and walk.\" Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the\npower in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could\nsay to the leper,--\"_I will_; be thou clean.\" He could say to the\nsick man:--\"Take up thy bed and walk.\" When speaking of his death and\nresurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which\nwould control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as\nhe said, \"No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I\nhave power to lay it down and I have power to take it again.\" John x:\n18. And it was the same with all his other mighty works. He had all\nthe power in himself that was needed to do them.\n\nAnd these miracles of Christ were the proofs that he was the Messiah,\nthe great Saviour, of whom the prophets had spoken. This was what\nNicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:--\"We know that thou art a\nteacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou\ndoest, except God be with him.\" John iii: 2. And Jesus himself\nreferred to his miracles as the proof that God had sent him. John v:\n36; x: 25.\n\nAnd this was what he meant by the message which he sent to John the\nBaptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, \"Are thou he that\nshould come, or look we for another?\" Jesus answered and said unto\nthem, \"Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;\nthe blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are\ncleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor\nhave the gospel preached unto them.\" Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the\nvery things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when\nhe came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.\n\nIt is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by\nour Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great\nSaviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to\nthis, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show\nthat he has power to do everything for his people that they may need\nto have him do.\n\nIt is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We\ncan only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in\nthe last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us\nthat he has power to do _four_ things for his people.\n\n_In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he\nhas great power to_--HELP.\n\nWe see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of\nfishes. Luke v: 1-11.\n\nPeter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James\nand John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same\nbusiness. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out\nand hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early\nthe next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near\nwhere their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,\nand how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what\nwonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to\ncast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and\nimmediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they\ncould well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the\nsea nothing can be hid from the all-seeing eye of our divine Saviour.\nHe knows where everything is that his people can need; and he has the\npower to bring it to them.\n\nAnd then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same\nlesson. We have an account of this miracle in three places. Matt,\nxix: 22-33. Mark vi: 45-52. John vi: 14-21.\n\nAt the close of a busy day, in which he had been teaching the people\nand feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board\na vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent\nthe multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his\nFather in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy\nnight. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The\ndisciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making\nlittle progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land\nbefore morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is\ntrue as David says, that--\"_The darkness and the light are both alike\nto thee._\" Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to\ngive it to them. But there was no boat at hand for him to go in.\nTrue: but he needed none. He could walk on the water as well as on\nthe land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the\nstorm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The\ndisciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and\ncry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their\nMaster comes to them, saying: \"_It is I. Be not afraid_.\" He steps on\nboard. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of\nthe oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them \"in safety to the\nhaven where they would be.\" Other miracles might be referred to as\nteaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the\nsame power to help now that he had then.\n\nHere are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes\nhelps his people in their times of need.\n\n\"The Dead Raven.\" A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one\nwinter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of\nhis employer to let him have work; but he said it was impossible.\nWell said he, \"I'm sure the Lord will help.\" When he came home and\ntold his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to\ncomfort her with the assurance--\"The Lord will help.\" But as he could\nget no work, their money was soon gone; and the day came at last,\nwhen there was neither food nor fuel left in the house. The last\nmorsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. \"What shall we do\nfor dinner?\" asked his wife.\n\n\"The Lord will help\"--was still his reply. And see how the help came.\nSoon after breakfast, his wife opened the front window, to dust off\nthe sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven\nin through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As\nhe threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, \"There, old\nsaint, is something for you to eat.\" The weaver took up the dead\nraven, saying as he did so:--\"Poor creature! you must have died of\nhunger!\"\n\nBut when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed\nsomething hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,\nhe took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his\nastonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall\ninto his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. \"Didn't I tell\nyou,\" he asked, in grateful gladness, \"that the Lord will help?\"\n\nHe went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the\nprecious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about\nit, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good\nweaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.\nOne of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been\ndismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how\nstrangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,\nthe gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him\nliberally for returning it--but took him back into his employ, and\nsaid he should never want work again so long as he had any to give.\n\nHow willing, and how able our glorious Saviour is to help those who\ntrust in him!\n\n\"The Sailor Boy's Belief.\" One night there was a terrible storm at\nsea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over\non her beam ends. \"She'll never right again!\" exclaimed the captain.\n\"We shall all be lost!\"\n\n\"Not at all, sir!\" cried a pious sailor boy who was near the captain.\n\"What's to hinder it?\" asked the captain. \"Why you see, sir,\" said\nthe boy, \"they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at\nGlasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear\ntheir prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!\"\n\nThese words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave\nstruck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of\npraise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the\ndeck of that saved ship.\n\nAnd so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus\ntaught was his power to help.\n\n_In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that\nwere performed in order to teach us his power to_--COMFORT.\n\nOne day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning\ntill evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to\nhear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the\nevening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people\naway to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people\nfood. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told\nthem to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were\nseated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them\nto the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that\nmultitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those\nloaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.\nThe whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been\nenough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made\nsufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange\nthis was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just\n_where_, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put\nforth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the\npieces to the disciples, the part left in his hands grew out at once,\nto the same size that it was before. Or the broken pieces may have\nincreased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in\ndistributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in\nimmediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was\nhis: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was\ndone. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the\npeople were fed. This was indeed not _one_ miracle, but a multitude\nof miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all\nwere satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.\nFive thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much\nfood left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to\nsatisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this\nglorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.\n\nAnd when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we\nread in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we\nread in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the\ndead, after he had lain four days in the grave, as we read in St.\nJohn xi: 1-54, he was working miracles to show his power to comfort\nthose in trouble.\n\nAnd we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in\ndistress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does\nthis:\n\n\"Shining in Every Window.\" A Christian lady, who spent much time in\nvisiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who\nwas kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of\nthe house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. \"Poor\ngirl!\" she said to herself, \"what a dreary time she must have!\" On\nentering her room she said:\n\n\"I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of\nthe house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any\nsunshine here.\"\n\n\"Oh, you are mistaken,\" she said: \"the sunshine pours in at every\nwindow, and through every crack.\"\n\nThe lady looked surprised.\n\n\"I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes\neverything bright to me.\"\n\nHere we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.\n\n\"Ice in Summer.\" Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our\neastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After\ntalking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian\nwoman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again\nthere. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log\ncabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second\nsummer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of\nsickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from\nthe nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with\na doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine\nwith them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous\nattack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow\nof the sick man, he thought he might get over it; but, without that,\nthere was very little prospect of his recovery.\n\nAs soon as the doctor was gone, the sorrowful wife gathered her\nfamily and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled\ndown with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and\nprayed very earnestly that he who has the power to do everything,\nwould send them some ice.\n\nWhen the prayer was over, some of the neighbors whispered to each\nother that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. \"The\nidea of getting ice here,\" they said, \"when everybody knows there\nisn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all\nthe laws of nature to have ice in summer.\"\n\nThe wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake\nher faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but\nearnestly, her heart breathed forth the cry for ice.\n\nAs the day wore on, heavy clouds began to gather in the western sky.\nThey rolled in darkness over the heavens. The distant thunder was\nheard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began\nto flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in\nrain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big\nas eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful\nwife went out, and soon came in rejoicing with a bucket full of ice.\nIt was applied in bags to her husband's head. The fever broke, and he\nwas restored to life and health.\n\nThis grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about\nwhether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed\nfor ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was\nstronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many\nmiracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort\nhis people when they are in trouble.\n\n_In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us\nwhat power he has to_--ENCOURAGE--_his people_.\n\nWe have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he\nperformed on the woman who had \"a spirit of infirmity.\" This means\nthat she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no\npower to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this\ncondition we are told for _eighteen_ years. How hard to bear--and how\ndiscouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give\nher any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there\nwas no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he\npitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his\nloving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her\ndisease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What\nencouragement that must have given to her!\n\nOne day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter\nto get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman\ngovernment, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that\nneither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter\nwent into the presence of Jesus to speak to him about this matter.\nBut Jesus knowing what was in his mind, before Peter had time to say\nanything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take\nhis fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch\nthe first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would\nfind a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was\ndue for them both.\n\nPeter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked\ninto the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a\nstater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just\nenough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If\nJesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time\nwhen Peter caught it, how wonderful his _power_ must be! And if,\nwithout making it then, he knew that _that_ one fish, the only one in\nthe sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would\nbe the first to bite at Peter's line, then how wonderful his\n_knowledge_ must be!\n\nPeter would not be likely to forget that day's fishing as long as he\nlived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the\nwonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was\nserving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!\n\nAnd Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are\ntrying to serve him.\n\nLet us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first\nillustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great\nAmerican painter. We may call it:\n\n\"Praying for Bread.\" Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of\nthe greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story\nrefers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his\nwife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to\nbuy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the\ndoor, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his\ntrouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.\n\nWhile he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He\narose and opened the door. A stranger stood there.\n\n\"I wish to see Mr. Allston,\" said he.\n\n\"I am Mr. Allston,\" replied Mr. A.\n\n\"Pray tell me, sir, who has purchased your fine painting of the\n'Angel Uriel,' which won the prize at the exhibition of the Royal\nAcademy?\"\n\n\"That painting has not been sold,\" said Mr. A.\n\n\"Where is it to be found?\"\n\n\"In this very room,\" said the artist, bringing a painting from the\ncorner, and wiping off the dust.\n\n\"What is the price of it?\" asked the gentleman.\n\n\"I have done fixing a price on it,\" said Mr. A., \"for I have always\nasked more than people were willing to give.\"\n\n\"Will four hundred pounds be enough for it?\" was the next question.\n\n\"That is more than I ever asked.\"\n\n\"Then the painting is mine,\" said the stranger, who introduced\nhimself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one\nof Mr. Allston's warmest friends.\n\nWhat a lesson of encouragement the great painter learned that day,\nwhen he asked for bread, and while he was asking, received help that\nfollowed him all his days!\n\n\"The Hushed Tempest.\" A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this\naccount of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which\nhe once received.\n\n\"It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had\na succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.\nI was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the\nwinter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood\nand have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a\nneighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I\nreached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale\nthat it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If\nit kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next\nday. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of\nthe man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not\nbe in my power to get the fuel we needed for the rest of the winter.\nI thought of that sweet promise, 'Call on me, in the day of trouble,\nand I will deliver thee,' Ps. i: 15.\n\n\"I kneeled down amid the drifting snow, and said, 'O, my God, this is\na day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy\nwill: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the\nword, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless\nlittle ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of\ndoing what I came to do, and what it is so necessary to do to-day,\nfor Jesus' sake. Amen!'\n\n\"I do not think it was more than fifteen minutes from the time I\nbegan to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became\nmore moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was\nstill; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day\nI never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget\nthe lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on\nthat day.\" And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his\nmiracles.\n\n_In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that\nwere intended to teach us his power to_--PROTECT--_his people_.\n\nAnd there is no lesson that we more need to be taught than this;\nbecause we are exposed to many dangers, from which we are too weak\nto protect ourselves.\n\nOne day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found\nthe family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was\nvery ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she\nwas the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to\nthem all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them\nfrom that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this\nthreatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his\nhealing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she\nrose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and\nwaited on Jesus.\n\nOn another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his\ndisciples. Weary with the work of love in which he had been engaged,\nhe laid down in the hinder part of the ship and fell asleep. While he\nwas lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in\nits fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the\nvessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of\nsinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with\nthe earnest cry:--\"Lord save us: we perish.\" He heard their cry. He\nrose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the\nstorm-tossed vessel. He rebuked the winds, and said unto the sea:--\"\nPeace: be still.\" They recognized their Master's voice and obeyed.\n\"The wind ceased, and immediately there was a great calm.\"\n\nAs long as those disciples lived they never would forget the lesson\nhe taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.\n\nAnd then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the\npurpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from\nSatan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow\nthese evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when\nJesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We\noften read in the gospels of men who were \"possessed of devils.\" This\nmeans that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and\nused them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty\nhouse, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a\nnumber of miracles to show that he was able to control those spirits;\nto cast them out of the bodies of men and to protect his people from\ntheir power. We have an account of one of these miracles in St. Matt,\nviii: 28, 34; of another in St. Mark v: 1-20; and of another in St.\nLuke viii: 26-39.\n\nThe Bible speaks of Satan \"going about, like a roaring lion, seeking\nwhom he may devour.\" I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and\nJesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we\nneed not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our\nSaviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see\nthis illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job\nin some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he\nsaid himself, that God had \"put an hedge about him, and about his\nhouse, and about all that he had on every side.\" Job i: 10. This\nhedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his\npeople from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he\nprotected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve\nhim.\n\nLet us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this\ncontinually.\n\n\"Providential Deliverance.\" One of the best men, and one of the most\nuseful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.\nJohn Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under\nthe government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit\nand inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the\nriver Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay\nthere. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was\nalways ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this\noccasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not\nthere. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the\nboat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in\nthis delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell\ninto the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took\nplace. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board\nof her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.\nNewton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served\nprotected him from the danger to which he was exposed.\n\n\"Willie's Heroism.\" One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography\nclass that they might close their books and rest a little, while she\ntold them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero\nof Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an\napple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father\nto take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his\nson. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow\nmight miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and\ncried out--\"Shoot, father! I am not afraid.\" He took a steady aim;\nfired, and knocked the apple off without hurting his son.\n\nJust as the teacher was telling this story a sudden storm burst from\nthe sky. There was a flash of lightning, and a loud crash of thunder.\nSome of the children screamed, and began to cry and ran to the\nteacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept\nhis seat and went on quietly studying his lesson.\n\nWhen the storm was over the teacher said:\n\n\"Willie why were you not afraid like the other children?\"\n\n\"Because,\" said he, \"I knew the lightning was only an arrow in my\nHeavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?\"\n\nHow well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his\ndisciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he\nhas to protect his people from danger!\n\nHere is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call\nit:\n\n\"The Widow's Tree,\" Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and\nthunder, swept through the valley of Yellow Creek, in Indiana County,\nGeorgia. For more than a mile in width trees were uprooted, houses,\nbarns, and fences were thrown down, and ruin and desolation was\nspread all over the land.\n\nIn the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a\nsmall cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her\nonly son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her\nhumble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should\nfall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The\nstorm howled and raged, and the big trees were falling on every hand.\nIn the midst of all the danger the widow knelt in prayer, and asked\nGod to spare that tree, and protect her home, and save her own life,\nand that of her son. Her prayer was heard. And when the storm was\nover, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was\nthe only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,\nas if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect\nfrom danger those who trust in him!\n\n_But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his\nmiracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power\nto_--PARDON.\n\nA man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs\nwere helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his\nfriends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the\nyard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those\neastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard\nback of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is\nbuilt round the four sides of this square. This open space is\ngenerally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a\ncovering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was\nin one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this\noccasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends\nof the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the\nsufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the\nhouse, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with\nus. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they\nhave flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on\nthe outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get\nup. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the\ninner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly\nin front of our Saviour. When he saw him he pitied him, and said,\n\"Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.\" The people were\nsurprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves \"This man\nblasphemeth.\" Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy\nfor him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And\nthen, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he\nsaid to the sick man--\"Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine\nhouse. And he arose, and went to his house,\" Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly\nthe object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to\nprove that he had power to forgive sins; or to pardon.\n\nAnd when he healed the leper it was to teach us the same great truth.\nThis disease was not only like all other diseases, the result of sin;\nbut, unlike most other diseases, it was a type, or figure of sin. It\naffected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a\ndisease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence\nwhich none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the\nmiracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach\nhis disciples the great lesson that he \"had power on earth to forgive\nsins.\"\n\nAnd he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the\nway in which he exercises this power now.\n\n\"No Pardon but From Jesus,\" There was a heathen man in India once,\nwho felt that he was a sinner, and longed to obtain pardon. The\npriests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the\ncountry, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted\ntill he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful\nthings--but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told\nto put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make\nan offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the\noffering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.\n\nSad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in\nhis shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade\nof a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered\nround a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian\nmissionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great\ninterest. The missionary was preaching from the words:--\"The blood of\nJesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.\" He showed what power Jesus had\nto forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come\nunto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and\nglorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,\nsaying \"This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I\nhave found salvation!\"\n\nHere is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our\nsins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive\nit. We may call it:\n\n\"Pardon and Peace.\" An officer who held a high position under the\ngovernment of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once\nbrought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his\nplace at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge\nand jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were\nat home, surrounded by his own family.\n\nThe trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear\nevidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as\never. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his\ncountenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.\n\nAt last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held\ntheir breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant\nevery eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this\nsentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his\nbosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a\nfull, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and\nsealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This\nwas what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful\nposition as a condemned prisoner.\n\nAnd so Jesus gives his people pardon in such promises as these:\n\"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: though\nthey be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,\" Is. i: 16. \"Let\nthem return unto the Lord, for he will _abundantly pardon_.\" Is. lv:\n7. \"All that believe are justified from _all_ things.\" Acts xiii:\n39. These promises are like the king's pardon which the officer had\nreceived. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon\nbrings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the\nmiracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious\ntruth, that--\"The Son of man hath power to forgive sins.\"\n\nThen when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us\nalways remember the illustrations they afford of the power he had to\n_help_--_to comfort_--_to encourage_--_to protect_--_and to pardon_.\n\nLet us seek to secure all these blessings to ourselves, and then we\nshall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very\nprofitable teaching to us!\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY\n\n\n\n\n\nIf we should attempt to mention all the parables which Jesus spoke,\nand the miracles which he performed, and the many other lessons which\nhe taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can\nonly take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus\ntaught.\n\nWe have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which\nis--_Christ Teaching Liberality_. This was a very important lesson\nfor Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is\nto make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more\nthan we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we\nshould be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we\novercome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to\ngive, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only\nexpects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to\ngive \"_cheerfully_.\" II. Cor. ix: 7.\n\nAnd this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his\ndisciples,--\"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,\npressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give\ninto your bosoms.\" St. Luke vi: 38.\n\nAnd when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three\nthings to engage our attention. _The first of these is the_--LESSON\nOF LIBERALITY--_here set before us_.\n\n_The second is_--THE PROOF--_that this lesson is taught all through\nthe Bible_.\n\n_And the third is_--THE ILLUSTRATIONS--_of this lesson_.\n\nAnd then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be\nthus expressed--_the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its\nillustrations_.\n\nAnd the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this\nlittle word--\"_Give_.\" Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on\nthis subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is\nnot merely his advice; no, but it is his _command_. He is speaking\nhere as our Master--our King--our God. He _commands_ us to--give.\nAnd when we remember how he said to his disciples, \"If ye love me,\n_keep my commandments_,\" we see plainly, that we have no right to\nconsider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any\nother of his plain commands.\n\nAnd this command about giving is not intended for any _one_ class of\npersons among the followers of Christ, but for _all_ of them. It is\nnot a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but\nfor the poor as well. It is not a command for grown persons alone,\nbut for children also. As soon as we begin to _get_, God expects us\nto begin to _give_.\n\nJesus says nothing here about _how much_ he expects us to give. But,\nfrom other places in the Bible, we learn that he expects us to give\n_at least one-tenth_ of all that we have. If we have a thousand\ndollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we\nhave a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we\nmust give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give\nten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of\nthem. If we have no money to give, God expects us to give kind words,\nand kind actions, our sympathy and love.\n\nJesus does not tell us here _how often_ we are to give, but\nsimply--give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the\nhabit of giving. His command is--give. And in giving us this command\nhe is only asking us to imitate his own example. _He is giving all\nthe time_. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is \"exalted to the\nright hand of the Father to--give.\" He never tires of giving. \"He\ngiveth to all life, breath, and all things.\" And if we have not the\nSpirit of Christ in this respect, \"we are none of his.\"\n\nThis, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he\nsaid--\"give.\" And that _giving is God's rule for getting_ is what we\nare taught by our Saviour, when he said--\"_Give, and it shall be\ngiven unto you_.\"\n\nAnd now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus\ntaught, _let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it_. The same\nlesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is\nsaid about it in some of these places.\n\nIn Ps. xli: 1 David says--\"Blessed is he that considereth the poor:\nthe Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.\" Considering the poor\nhere, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they\nneed. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God\nwill reward them by giving to them good things in great abundance.\nAnd, if this is so, then we have proof here that \"giving is God's\nrule for getting.\"\n\nWe have another proof that \"giving is God's rule for getting,\" in\nProv. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says--\"Honor the Lord with thy\nsubstance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall\nthy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with\nnew wine.\"\n\nWhen the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required\nto make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they\nused any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were\ncalled \"the first-fruits.\" God considered himself honored by his\npeople when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments\nand doing what he wished them to do. And the meaning of this command,\nwhen we apply it to ourselves, is that we should give something to\nthe cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from\nall the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible\nrule--the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in\nthe other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who\ndo this. \"So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses\nshall burst out with new wine.\"\n\nThis means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that\nthis passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of\nliberality that our Saviour taught when he said--\"_Give and it shall\nbe given unto you_.\" It proves that \"giving is God's rule for\ngetting.\"\n\nAnd Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, \"The liberal soul\nshall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also\nhimself.\" Prov. xi: 25.\n\nA \"liberal soul\" means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to\nbe \"made fat\" means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to\nwater a garden, you are _giving_ to the thirsty plants that which\nthey need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that\nthe person who does this shall \"be watered also himself,\" the meaning\nis that he shall have given to him all that is most important to\nsupply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only\nteaching what our Saviour taught when he said, \"Give, and it shall be\ngiven unto you.\" It furnishes us with another proof that \"giving is\nGod's rule for getting.\"\n\nIn the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a\nvery clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find\nit said: \"_He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord;\nand that which he hath given will he pay him again_.\" Having pity on\nthe poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they\nneed. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money\nlent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend\nanything to him, in this way, \"He will pay us again.\" And when he\npays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He\npays back four, or five, or ten times as much as was lent: to him.\nThis proves that \"giving is God's rule for getting.\"\n\nOne other passage is all that need be referred to in order to prove\nthat the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same\nlesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God\nsays, \"_Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after\nmany days_.\"\n\nIf we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing\nbread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,\nwho was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But\nsuppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt--the land of the\ncelebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is\nthere. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It\noverflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains\nthat border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the\nfields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,\nand scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain\nsinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the\ngrain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into\nthe river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The\nmud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very\nplentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of\nthis passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the\nlesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that\nthe money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like\nthe grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which\nwill surely yield a rich harvest by and by.\n\nThis teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all\nthese passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same\nlesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, \"Give, and\nit shall be given unto you.\" And what we learn, both from the\nteaching of Christ, and from the different passages referred to,\nis--that \"giving is God's rule for getting.\"\n\nAnd now, having seen some of the Bible, proofs for this lesson of\nliberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, _let us go on\nto speak of some of the illustrations of this rule_. These are very\nnumerous.\n\nAnd we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:--_from\nthe Bible; from nature; and from everyday life_.\n\nThere are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We\nfind one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember\nthat there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the\nlifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a\ndrop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and\ngardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the\nfirst part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent\nElijah to \"the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan,\" I. Kings xvii:\n7-17. There the ravens brought him food, and he drank of the water of\nthe brook.\n\nBut after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the\ncity of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,\nand that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did\nnot tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor\nthe number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he\nmet a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him\nthat this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and\nasked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was\ngoing to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and\nasked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there\nwas not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was\na handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that\nshe was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last\ncake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And\nElijah said, \"Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me\nthereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make\nfor thee, and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel,\nThe barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil\nfail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.\"\n\nThis was a hard thing to ask a mother to do. It was asking her to\ntake the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for\nherself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she\ndid it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal\nbarrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from\nthe cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the\nolive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes\na cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who\neats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty\nbarrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken\nout. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it\nthankfully as bread sent from heaven. The next day it is the same,\nand the day after, and so on through all the days of the famine. We\nare not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house\nbefore the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a\ncalculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us\nsuppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at\nthe brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been\nat least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal\nand the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the\nfirst twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five\nmiracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and\neighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising\nnumber of _five hundred and forty-seven_ miracles, that were\nperformed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to\nthe prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink\nof water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are\nconsidering, that _giving is God's rule for getting_.\n\nBut the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is\ngiven in our Saviour's own experience. He not only _preached_ the\nlesson of liberality, but _practised_ it. He is himself the greatest\ngiver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the\nPrince of givers. He gave--not silver and gold; not all the wealth of\nthe world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but \"He gave\n_Himself_ for us.\" He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language\nof the hymn:\n\n  \"I gave my life for thee,\n    My precious blood I shed,\n  That thou might'st ransomed be,\n    And quickened from the dead.\"\n\nAnd what is the result of this glorious giving to Jesus himself? St.\nPaul answers this question when he says, \"Wherefore God also hath\nhighly exalted him; and given him a name which is above every name;\nthat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven,\nand things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every\ntongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God\nthe Father,\" Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave \"for us men, and\nfor our salvation,\" he will be loved and praised and honored in\nheaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other\nbeings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here\nof the truth of this statement, that \"giving is God's rule for\ngetting.\" These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of\nliberality that we find in the Bible.\n\n_And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we\nhave in nature_.\n\nSolomon suggests one of these when he says, \"_There is that\nscattereth, and yet increaseth_.\" Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently\nspeaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.\n\nNow suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew\nnothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed\nsown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is\nreaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we\nshould have been ready to say, \"What a foolish man that is! He is\ntaking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing\nit away.\"\n\nOf course, we should have expected that the grain thus thrown away,\nor scattered over the ground, would all be lost. But, if we could\nhave come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his\nharvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have\nlearned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had\nscattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was\nsowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his\nharvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he\nsaid, \"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth.\" And we should\nhave here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,\nwhen he said, \"Give, and it shall be given unto you;\" and of the\nBible truth we are now studying, that \"giving is God's rule for\ngetting.\"\n\nYonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's\nworks. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of\nliberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are\nspread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface\nof the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like\nthe steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into\nthe air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These\nclouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in\nrefreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills\nstart from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the\nrivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the\nocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for\nhundreds and thousands of years, ever since the day when God made it.\n\nNow, let us suppose that the ocean could think, or speak; and that it\nhad power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean\nshould say:--\"Well, I think I have been giving away water long\nenough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much\nas it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my\nsurface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any\nlonger.\" Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of\nthis would be upon the ocean itself.\n\nWe know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the\nsun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always\ntaken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the\nwater on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been\ntaken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes\nit heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that\nthis heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and\nat the same time the lighter water at the bottom rises to the top.\nAnd so a constant change is taking place all over the ocean. The\nwater from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the\nbottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God\nemploys to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.\nBut if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always\nbeen doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The\nocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass\nof corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health\nand life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and\ndeath. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek\nits shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air\nthat sweeps over its surface, and by bathing in its foaming surf,\nwould all be afraid of the ocean; and would keep as far away from its\nshores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as\na grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour\ntaught when he said, \"Give, and it shall be given unto you.\" The\nocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God\ngives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.\nAnd so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now\nstudying, that \"giving is God's rule for getting.\"\n\nAnd yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as\nmuch about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far\naway from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its\nshores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We\ncan study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect\nof those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It\nis about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off\nfor us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun\nto get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and\ngetting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away\nlight all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this\npurpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should\ntry to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be\nits ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And\nso, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in\nhis harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed\nfrom its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see\nthe sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed\nwork of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are\nnature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught\nwhen he said, \"Give, and it shall be given unto you.\" They all help\nto show how true it is, that \"giving is God's rule of getting.\"\n\n_And now we may go on to look for our illustrations of this subject\nfrom everyday life_.\n\nIf we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind\ncontinually. It would not be difficult to fill a volume with them.\nHere are a few out of many that might be given.\n\n\"The Travellers in the Snow.\" Two travellers were on a journey in a\nsleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove\nalong. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who\nbelieved in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had\nwith others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did _not_\nbelieve in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As\nthey drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that\nlooked like the figure of a man. \"Look there,\" said the generous man\nto his friend, \"that must be some poor fellow overcome by the cold.\nLet's stop and see what we can do for him.\"\n\n\"You can get out, if you like,\" was his reply, \"but it's too cold for\nme. I intend to stay where I am;\" and he wrapped his furs closely\nround him.\n\nThe other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the\nsleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a\nshort time before, overcome by the cold. He shook the snow from him,\nand began to rub his hands and face and feet. He kept on rubbing for\na good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved\nfrom death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the\nsleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made\nin doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the\nrest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of\ntheir journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything\nfor the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and\nears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows\nthat \"giving is God's rule for getting.\"\n\nHere we see the truth of the lines which someone has written:\n\n  \"Numb and weary on the mountain\n    Wouldst thou sleep amidst the snow?\n  Chafe the frozen form beside thee,\n    And together both shall glow.\n  Art thou stricken in life's battle?\n    Many wounded round thee moan;\n  Lavish on their wounds thy balsams,\n    And that balm shall heal thine own.\"\n\n\"The Officer and the Soldier.\" In one of the terrible battles in\nVirginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front\nof the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds\nbrought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously\nfor water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,\nand leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he\ncrawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what\na comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with\ngratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his\ngold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his\nbenefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's\nname and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he\nlived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble\nsoldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and\nreturned to his home as a cripple.\n\nThe officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the\nkindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and\nhe was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,\ntelling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand\ndollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred\ndollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of\nthe heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the\nbattle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It\nis hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the\ncrippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the\nwounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received\nfor the same, he must have felt how true our Saviour's words were,\nwhen he said: \"Give, and it shall be given unto you.\" And he must\nhave felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that \"Giving is\nGod's rule for getting.\"\n\n\"The Secret of Success.\" Some time ago a Christian gentleman was\nvisiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was\na very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and\nshowed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When\nthey were through the visitor said to his friend, \"I have one\nquestion to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very\nmuch obliged to you. I am told that you started in life very poor,\nand now you are one of the richest men in this part of the country.\nMy question is _this_: will you please tell me the _secret_ of your\nsuccess in business?\"\n\n\"I don't know that there is any great secret about it,\" said his\nfriend, \"but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began\nto work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My\nwages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and\nlodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of\nthe forty dollars. I then made a solemn promise to the Lord that\n_one-tenth_ of my wages, or four dollars out of the forty, should be\nfaithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious\nwork. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside\none-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my\nexpenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow\nthat whatever it might please God to give me, I would never give\n_less_ than one-tenth of my income to him. This vow I have faithfully\nkept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my\nsuccess--_this is it_. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel\nsure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than\nI should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that\nGod has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that\nanyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find\nit work as it has done in my case.\"\n\nThis man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when\nhe said--\"Give, and it shall be given unto you.\" And his experience\nshows most satisfactorily that \"giving is God's rule for getting.\"\n\n\"The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier.\" During the late war there\nwas a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio\nRiver. The captain, who had charge of her was the owner of the boat.\nThe steam was up; and the captain was about to start on a trip some\nmiles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the\nboat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,\na poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was\nsuffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had\nbeen in the hospital. The doctor had told him he could not live long;\nand he was very anxious to get home, and see his mother again, before\nhe died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a\npassage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,\nthe captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were\ngoing near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would\ngladly take him to his home.\n\nBut, when the excursion party came on board, and saw the soldier,\nwith his soiled and worn clothes, and his ugly-looking wounds, they\nwere not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him\nashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his\ncause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck\nand put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But\nthe young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it\nbelonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such\na miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the\ncaptain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he\nwould lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the\nday's excursion.\n\nThe good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put\nthemselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they\nwould like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier\ngo. Then the noble-hearted captain said: \"Well, ladies and gentlemen,\nwhether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home\nto-day.\"\n\nThe party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty\ndollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of\nhis loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she\nthanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle\nmother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and\ncared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could\nnot save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he\nspoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside\nwere--\"Don't forget the good captain.\" And he was not forgotten. For\nafter the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to\nthe town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him\nagain for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a\npresent that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had\nlost for the hire of his boat.\n\nBut this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain\nand his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was\nprevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two\nlittle orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The\nsoldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he\nmight be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt\nthem as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a\nfriend to them as long as he lived.\n\nHow beautifully our Saviour's words--\"Give, and it shall be given\nunto you,\" are illustrated in this story! How clearly we see here,\nthat \"Giving is God's rule for getting!\"\n\nI have just one other illustration before closing this subject. We\nmay call it:\n\n\"The Miser and the Hungry Children.\" In a village in England were two\nlittle motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the\nelder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They\nwere very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great\ndifficulty in supporting himself and his children.\n\nOnce, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone\nall day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their\nbreakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they\nhad no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About\nthe middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: \"Sally, I'm\nvery hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?\"\n\n\"No,\" said Sally; \"I've looked all through the closet; but there\nisn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish\nthere was something; for I'm hungry too.\"\n\n\"O, dear! what shall we do?\" cried Mary; \"I'm too hungry to wait till\nfather comes home!\"\n\n\"Mary,\" said her sister, \"suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give\nus something to eat? Let us kneel down, and say the Lord's Prayer.\nWhen we come to that part about 'daily bread' we'll say it over three\ntimes, and then wait, and see if God will send us some.\"\n\nMary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: \"Our\nFather, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come;\nthy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven: give us this day our\ndaily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our\ndaily bread.\" Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would\ncome.\n\nAnd now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let\nme tell you what was taking place outside.\n\nNot far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a\ngood deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never\nwould spend a penny for himself, if he could possibly help it. But,\non that afternoon, he had left home to go to the baker's and buy a\nloaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he\nput it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,\nthat just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls\nwere, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he\nstepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the\ncorner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position\nhis ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard\nwhat the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their\nproposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard\nthe thrice repeated prayer--\"give us this day our daily bread.\" And\nthen came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for\nthe bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish\nheart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,\nand grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry\nlittle ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch\nof the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took\nthe loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little\ngirls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go\nbouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped\ntheir hands for joy.\n\n\"O, Sally,\" said little Mary, \"how good God is to answer our prayer\nso soon! Did He send an angel from heaven to bring us this bread?\"\n\n\"I don't know who brought it,\" answered Sally, \"but I am sure that\nGod sent it.\"\n\nAnd how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given\nto the poor. Did the promise fail which says, \"Give, and it shall be\ngiven unto you?\" No; God's promises _never_ fail. He went to the\nbakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home\nwith different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,\nsoft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to\nthose children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so\nmuch pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did\nmore. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God\nwho had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a\nstrange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a\nChristian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But\nbefore he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the\nlittle girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful\nillustration we have here of our Saviour's words--\"Give, and it shall\nbe given unto you!\" This miser gave _a loaf of bread_ to these hungry\nchildren and God gave him _the grace that made him a Christian_! And\nas we think of this we may well say that \"giving _is_ God's rule for\ngetting.\"\n\nAnd thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our\nSaviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the\nillustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday\nlife. The three things to be remembered from this subject are _the\nlesson_--_the proofs_--_the illustrations_.\n\nI will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same\nlesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I\nhave tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of\nthem is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the\nbook of Proverbs, which we have already used.\n\n\"THERE IS THAT SCATTERETH AND YET INCREASETH.\"\n\n  \"Is thy cruse of comfort wasting?\n    Rise, and share it with another;\n  And through all the years of famine,\n    It shall serve thee and thy brother.\n  God himself will fill thy storehouse,\n    Or thy handful still renew:\n  Scanty fare for _one_ will often\n    Make a royal feast for _two_.\n\n  \"For the heart grows rich in giving;\n    All its wealth is living grain:\n  Seeds which mildew in the garner,\n    Scattered, fill with gold the plain.\n  Is thy burden hard and heavy?\n    Do thy steps drag wearily?\n  Help to bear thy brother's burden,--\n    God will bear both it and thee.\n\n  \"Is thy heart a well left empty?\n    None but God its void can fill;\n  Nothing but a ceaseless fountain\n    Can this ceaseless longing still.\n  Is the heart a living power?\n    Self-entwined its strength sinks low;\n  It can only live in loving,\n    And by serving love will grow.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY\n\n\n\n\n\nDuring the earthly life of our blessed Saviour, we see how\neverything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is\npointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for\nthe first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:--\"Almighty\nGod, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon\nus the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which\nthy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in--great _humility_.\"\n\nIf Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an\nact of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would\nhave been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and\ncradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, \"the foxes have\nholes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath\nnot where to lay his head;\" when there never was an acre, or a foot\nof ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all\nthings in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a\nborrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching\nhumility all the days of his life on earth! Yet he did not think that\n_this_ was enough. And so he gave his disciples a special lesson on\nthis subject.\n\nWe have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is\ntaught us in these words:--\"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his\ngarments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth\nwater into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to\nwipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.\" Then occurs the\nincident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash\nhis feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then\nthe story goes on thus:--\"So after he had washed their feet, and had\ntaken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know\nye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say\nwell; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your\nfeet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you\nan example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'\"\n\nThis was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have\nbeen when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before\nhe took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They\nhad seen him in \"the glory which he had with the Father, before the\nworld was.\" They had worshipped him in the midst of all that glory.\nAnd then, when they saw him, girded with a towel and washing the feet\nof poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising\nit must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that\nhis object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should\ndo as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally\nmake a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should\nshow the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being\nwilling to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to\npromote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here\nspoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in\nwhich the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might\ngo through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet\nfeel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should\nnot be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his\ndisciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his\npeople, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of\nhumility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on\nthat occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above\nall others is--_the importance of humility_.\n\nAnd if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can\nbe given to this question than we find in Romans xii: 3, where St.\nPaul tells us \"not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to\nthink, but to think soberly.\" Pride is \"thinking of ourselves more\nhighly than we ought to think.\" Humility is--_not_ \"thinking of\nourselves more highly than we ought to think.\" And humility is the\nlesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all\nwho love him to learn. It is easy to speak of _five_ reasons why we\nshould learn this lesson.\n\n_And the first reason for learning it is--the_ COMMAND--_of Jesus_.\n\nWhen he had finished washing his disciples' feet, he told them that\n\"they should do as he had done to them.\" This was his command to his\ndisciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is\nnot the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of\nhis beautiful parables to teach humility. We find one of these in St.\nLuke xiv: 7-12.\n\nOn one occasion when he saw the people all pressing forward to get\nthe best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of\ngiving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they\nwere bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;\nbecause some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the\nmaster of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have\nthat seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel\nmortified, and ashamed. And then he gave his disciples this command:\n\"When thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room,\" or seat;\n\"that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go\nup higher: then shalt thou have worship\"--or honor--\"in the presence\nof them that sit at meat with thee.\" Here we have Jesus repeating\nhis command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of\nhumility.\n\nAnd then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught\nthis same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee\nand the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable\nreads thus: \"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a\nPharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed\nthus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men\nare, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I\nfast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'\" Here\nwe have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for\nnothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his\npretended prayer brought him no blessing.\n\nAnd then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description\nof a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing\nwhich it brought to him.\n\nHere is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which\nthis parable brought a heathen man to Christ.\n\n\"That's Me.\" A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch\nfarmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in\nhis home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He\nbegan, \"Two men went up into the temple to pray.\" The poor savage,\nwho had been led to feel himself a sinner, and was anxious for the\nsalvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered\nto himself, \"Now I'll learn how to pray.\" The farmer read on, \"God, I\nthank Thee that I am not as other men are.\" \"No, I am not,\" whispered\nthe Hottentot, \"but I'm worse.\" Again the farmer read, \"I fast twice\nin the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.\" \"I don't do that.\nI don't pray in that way. What shall I do?\" said the distressed\nsavage.\n\nThe good man read on till he came to the publican, \"standing afar\noff.\" \"That's where I am,\" said the Hottentot. \"Would not lift up so\nmuch as his eyes unto heaven,\" read the farmer. \"That's me,\" cried\nhis hearer. \"But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me\na sinner.\" \"That's me; that's my prayer,\" cried the poor creature,\nand smiting on his dark breast, he prayed for himself in the words of\nthe parable,--\"God be merciful to me a sinner!\" And he went on\noffering this prayer till the loving Saviour heard and answered him,\nand he went down to his house a saved and happy man.\n\nThus we see how this poor man learned the lesson of humility which\nJesus taught, and how much good it did to him.\n\nAnd it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this\nlesson of humility, when we read, in other passages of Scripture,\nsuch words as these:--\"Put on therefore--humbleness of mind,\nmeekness, long-suffering.\" Col. iii: 12. \"Humble yourself therefore\nin the sight of God.\" James iv: 10. \"Be clothed with humility.\" I.\nPet. v: 5. In all these places we have Jesus repeating his command to\nus to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus\nearnestly upon us because it is so important.\n\nWhen St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early\nChurch, was asked--What is the first important thing in the Christian\nreligion? his reply was--\"Humility.\" \"What is the second?\"\n\"Humility.\" \"And what is the third?\"--the reply still was--\"Humility.\"\n\nAnd if this be true, we need not wonder that Jesus should have been\nso earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so\nstrongly on his disciples to learn it.\n\nThe _command_ of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the\nlesson of humility.\n\n_But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of\nthe_--EXAMPLE--_of Christ_.\n\nThere are many persons \"who say and do not.\" There are some ministers\nwho preach very well, but they do not _practise_ what they preach.\nSuch persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out\nthe way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this\nwas not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything\nthat he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this\nlesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show\nus _how_ to do it.\n\nHe was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his\ndisciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he\nset us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was\ngiving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was\nthirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,\nand during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for\nthe support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When\nhe said, \"The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to\nminister,\" Matt. xx: 28; and again--\"I am among you as he that\nserveth,\" Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When\nhe borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;\nthough he could say in truth, \"every beast of the forest is mine, and\nthe cattle upon a thousand hills;\"--(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an\nexample of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because\nhe saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he\nwas giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken\nprisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,\nhe would, at once, have sent \"more than twelve legions of angels\" to\ndeliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept\nsilence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,\nlike \"a lamb dumb before her shearers,\" while his enemies were\ncharging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed\nthe Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all\nbleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a\npurple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the\npalms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the\ncross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths--as if he were\na wicked man, who did not deserve to live--he was giving the most\nwonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord\nof glory hanging on the shameful cross!--O, this was an example of\nhumility that must have filled the angels of heaven with surprise,\nand wonder!\n\nAnd when we think of all that Jesus did and suffered, to set us an\nexample of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and\nanxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much\nto teach us.\n\n\"Imitating Christ's Humility.\" I think I never heard of a more\nbeautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of\nChrist, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men\nhad heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those\npoor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had\nvery little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious\nSaviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a\nbetter portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go\nout to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the\ngreat salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that\nthe owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to\nchurch. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work\nto learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only\none way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about\nJesus and his love, and that was, for those who wished to teach them,\nto go and be slaves on the plantations, to work, and toil, if need\nbe, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then\ntell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This\nwas a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they\nwere willing to do it. And they not only _said_ it, but _did_ it.\nThey left their homes, and went to the West Indies. They worked on\nthe plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the\nslaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their\nhearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled\nthemselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands\nof Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How\nbeautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!\n\nAnd yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside\nthe glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he\nmight get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel\nthe throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and\nhe draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet\nwords, \"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,\nthat whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have\neverlasting life.\"\n\nAnd so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to\nlearn the lesson of humility which he taught.\n\n_A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is\nbecause of the_--COMFORT--_that is found in it_.\n\nJust think for a moment what God says on this subject, in Is. lvii:\n15. These are his words:--\"Thus saith the high and mighty One that\ninhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy\nplace, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to\nrevive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the\ncontrite ones.\" Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command\nto learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who\nlearn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to\nthem is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell\nwhat a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus--the\nLord of heaven and earth--dwelling in his heart? It is his presence\nin heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is\nwhat David taught, when he looked up to him, and said--\"In thy\npresence is fulness of joy.\" Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is\nfelt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it\ndoes in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and\nSilas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at\nPhilippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their\nbacks were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had\nsuffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his\npeople that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet\nhymns, when he said:\n\n  \"While blest with a sense of his love\n    A palace a toy would appear;\n  And prisons would palaces prove,\n    If Jesus would dwell with me there.\"\n\nBut it is only those who learn the lesson of humility that Jesus will\ndwell with. He says himself, \"If any man love me, he will keep my\nwords; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and\nmake our abode with him.\" St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of\nChrist which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are\nthose in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the\nhumble with whom he will dwell. For \"every one that is proud in heart\nis an abomination unto the Lord.\" Prov. xvi: 5.\n\nThe reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they\ndo not learn the lesson of humility.\n\n\"Learn to Stoop.\" The story is told of some celebrated man--I think\nit was Dr. Franklin--who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.\nWhen the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to\nthe front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam\nacross it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being\nstruck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and\ncalled out to his friend to do the same. He did not heed the caution,\nand received a severe thump on his head as the result of his neglect.\nIn bidding him good-bye, the doctor said--\"Learn to stoop, my friend;\nand it will save you from many a hard knock, as you go on through\nlife.\" This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the\nlesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be\nanything, or nothing, as God wants them to be, who have no comfort.\n\n\"The Fable of the Oak and the Violet.\" In a large garden there grew a\nfine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot\nthere grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in\nscorn upon the violet, and said: \"You, poor little thing, will soon\nbe dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of\nno good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for\nages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the\nocean, or into coffins to hold the dust of princes.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" answered the violet, in its humility, \"God has given _you_\nstrength, and _me_ sweetness. I offer him back my fragrance, and am\nthankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but\nwe are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us.\"\n\nNot long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to\nsplinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently\ngathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,\nand kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself\nwith its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between\npride and humility.\n\n\"The Secret of Comfort.\" Some years ago there was a boy who had been\nlame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not\na Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but\nthat of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat\nby his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in\nthe street, he would say to himself: \"Why has God made me thus? Why\nhave I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?\"\n\nThese thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many\nbitter tears.\n\nOne day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and\nrequested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a\nChristian. His heart was renewed; the burden of his sin was removed;\nand the love of God was shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost.\nHe learned the lesson of humble submission to the will of God. After\nthis, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their\nsports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and\nknew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he\nyet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:--\"It's all right. My\nFather in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is\nmaking all things work together for my good.\" He had learned the\nlesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.\nAnd the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a\ngood reason with us all for learning it.\n\n_A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is\nbecause of the_--USEFULNESS--_connected with it_.\n\nJesus tells us, by his apostle, that \"God resisteth the proud, but\ngiveth grace to the humble.\" St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of\nGod we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot\nbe useful at all. And this is what our Saviour taught his disciples,\nwhen he said to them--\"without me ye can do nothing.\" St. John xv: 5.\nBy the words \"without _me_\" he meant without my help, or without my\ngrace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that\nSt. Paul was speaking when he said--\"I can do all things through\nChrist who strengtheneth me.\" Phil, iv: 13.\n\nAnd we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn\nthe lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of\nGod, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not\ngive us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves\nuseful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of\nGod, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless\ncumberers of the ground.\n\nNow let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride\nhinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.\n\n\"The Fisherman's Mistake.\" An English gentleman was spending his\nsummer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing\nfor trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the\nhandsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and\nartificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit\nfor a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but\nnever caught a single fish.\n\nTowards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with\na bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who\nwas nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw\nhis line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then\nasked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could\ncatch no fish, while he with his poor outfit was catching so many.\nThe boy's prompt reply was:--\"Ye'll no catch ony fish Sir, as lang as\nye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht.\"\n\nThe gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing\nit off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a\nfisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept\nhimself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in\nfishing.\n\n\"The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility.\" Most strangers who visit the\ngreat city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river\nThames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the\nform of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of\nthe most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.\nThe man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of\nEngland. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he\nwas willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These\nworms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.\n\nOne day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the\ndry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been\ntaken out from her sides. He picked up one of these pieces of timber,\nand saw a worm at work, boring its way through. If he had been a\nproud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said--\"Get away\nyou poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me\nanything.\" And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames\nwould probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the\nlesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God\nhad made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and\nwatched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the\nhole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel\nwould be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was\nasked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the\nThames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build\nit. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great\nundertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.\n\nAnd now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should\never visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in\nwonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little\nship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: \"This mighty tunnel\nis an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us\nuseful.\"\n\n\"George Washington and His Humility.\" Here is a story connected with\nthe great and good Washington--\"the Father of his country,\" which\nillustrates very well this part of our subject.\n\nDuring the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little\nsquad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were\ntrying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military\nworks which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get\nthe timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought\nhimself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to\ntime, \"Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!\"\n\nWhile this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military\ndress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and\ngive the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great\nastonishment, and then, with all the pride of an emperor, said:\n\n\"Sir, I'd have you know that I am a corporal!\"\n\n\"You are--are you?\" replied the officer, \"I was not aware of that,\"\nand then taking off his hat, and making a low bow, said, \"I ask your\npardon Mr. Corporal.\"\n\nAfter this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took\nhold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into\nits place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his\nforehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then\nturning to the commander he said:\n\n\"Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not\nmen enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will\ncome and help you again.\"\n\nIt was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was\nthunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on\nthe continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the\ntimber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were\nstruggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens\nappointed to them.\n\nThis is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now\nconsidering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of\nhumility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us\nuseful.\n\n_And then there is one other reason why we should learn this lesson,\nand that is because of the_--BLESSING--_that attends it_.\n\nMary, the Mother of Jesus, in her noble song about the birth of her\nwonderful Son, said that God \"filleth the hungry with good things,\nand sendeth the rich empty away.\" By the \"_hungry\"_ she meant the\n_humble_ and by the \"_rich\"_ the _proud_. And the \"good things\" with\nwhich God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our\nSaviour taught the same truth when he said, \"he that humbleth himself\nshall be exalted.\" Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being\nhonored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of\nwhich we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson\nof humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is\nnot more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's\nblessing _does_ attend and follow those who learn the lesson of\nhumility.\n\nHow many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had\nlearned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great\nmission, which has given him a name and a place among the most\nfamous men of the world.\n\nGideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of\nhim to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their\nenemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the\nBaptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy\nto stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet\nJesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had\nbeen born.\n\nThe apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself \"less than\nthe least of all saints,\" and \"the chief of sinners;\" and yet God\nhonored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of\nall the apostles.\n\nIf we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we\nmay compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare\nand barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble\npeople to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,\nand are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of\ngrain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.\n\nAnd then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of\ndaily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish\nus with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that\nGod crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of\nthese illustrations.\n\n\"The Little Loaf.\" In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a\nfamine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from\nhunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest\nchildren in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they\nstood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large\nbasket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: \"Children, in\nthis basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and\ncome back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us\nbetter times.\"\n\nThen he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but\nwatched them through the window. The hungry children seized the\nbasket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them\nwished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without\never thanking the good gentleman for his kindness.\n\nBut one little girl, named Gretchen, poorly but neatly dressed,\nremained, humbly standing by, till the rest were gone. Then she took\nthe last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked\nup to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him\na kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then\nwent quickly home.\n\nThe next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had\nbeen before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time\nnot more than half the size of the one she had on the previous day.\nBut when she came home, and her poor sick mother cut the loaf open, a\nnumber of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out\nof it.\n\nHer mother was frightened, and said, \"Take the money back at once to\nthe good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough\nby accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!\"\n\nBut when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her\nmother's message, he kindly said, \"No, no, my child, it was no\nmistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a\nreward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,\nand grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who\nis humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for\nthe larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God\nthan if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread\nshe ate. Go home now, and greet your good mother very kindly for me.\"\nHere we see how God's blessing attends the humble.\n\n\"Humility Proving a Blessing.\" Some time ago a young man went into\nthe office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and\nasked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.\n\nGoing down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor\nHouse, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,\nstruck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent\nscattering into the gutter.\n\nThe young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her\nfeet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without\nthinking of it.\n\nNow a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as\nthat. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did\nnot hesitate a moment to do this kind act.\n\nWhen he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what\nwages he expected.\n\nHe stated what he thought would be right. His proposal was accepted.\nThe situation was given him, and he went to work.\n\nAbout a year afterwards, his employer took him aside one day,\nreminded him of the incident about the old apple woman; told him he\nwas passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this\ncircumstance which induced him to offer the vacant situation to him,\nin preference to a hundred others who were applying for it.\n\nHere we see what a blessing this young man's humility proved to him!\n\nAnd thus we see that there are five good reasons why we should learn\nthe lesson of humility. These are the _command_ of Christ; the\n_example_ of Christ; the _comfort_ that humility gives; the\n_usefulness_ to which it leads; and the _blessing_ that attends it.\n\nThe first verse of the hymn we often sing contains a very suitable\nprayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now\nbeen considering:\n\n  \"Lord forever at thy side\n    Let my place and portion be;\n  Strip me of the robe of pride\n    Clothe me with humility.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN\n\n\n\n\n\nIf, when Jesus was here on earth, he had shown a great interest in\nkings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not\nhave been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he\nwas richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater\nthan the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular\nnotice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in\nchildren. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the\ndisciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he\nwas too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He\nwas very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to\npreach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf\nears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to\nlife again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and\nall his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die\nfor the sins of the world; that he might \"open the kingdom of heaven\nto all believers.\" He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody\never had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to\nattend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he\nrebuked his disciples for trying to keep the children away from him.\nHe told the mothers to bring them near. They did so. And then, one by\none, \"he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and\nblessed them.\" And when he had done this, as though that were not\nenough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--\"_Suffer\nthe little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such\nis the kingdom of heaven_,\" \"verily I say unto you, whosoever shall\nnot receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter\ntherein.\"\n\nThese things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew\nmentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke\nxviii: 15-17.\n\nOn another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang\nhosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes\nwere greatly displeased, when they heard it, and \"said unto him,\nhearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye\nnever read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast\nperfected praise?\" Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old\nTestament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,\nthat God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in\nhis service, and sing his praises.\n\nAnd there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the\nchildren, and showed his interest in them. This was after his\nresurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his\ndisciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who\nhad shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was\nbetrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind\nhim of his great sin, \"Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?\" \"Yea,\nLord, thou knowest that I love thee,\" said the penitent disciple.\n\"Feed my lambs,\" was his Master's reply. Here again, how beautifully\nJesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!\n\nFrom these different passages, we see clearly how dear little\nchildren are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only\ngreat Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the\nreligion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to\nlove and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,\nmentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as\nburnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women\nand children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,\nand leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into\nthe river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of\nPekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.\nSometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half\nkilled, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then\nthe police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together\ninto a hole and bury them.\n\nIn Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes\nleft out in the fields or forests for the wild beasts to devour them.\nIn the South Sea Islands three-fourths of all the children born used\nto be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes\nthey would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and\ntrample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all\ntheir joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on\nto their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to\nthink of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of\nheart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,--the \"gentle\nJesus, meek and mild,\" stretching forth his arms in loving\ntenderness, and uttering the sweet words,--\"Suffer the little\nchildren to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the\nkingdom of God,\"--what a wonderful contrast it makes!\n\nAnd when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest\nin children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,--Why\nwas it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully\ninto this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in\nit; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about\nchildren.\n\n_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christ\nmanifested towards the young_.\n\nIt was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him\nwilling to become a little child himself; the same love which made\nhim willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death upon\nthe cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But\nif he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could\nnot have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they\nheard about the love of Christ, \"Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus\ndoes love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this\nbecause the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us\nchildren?\" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been\nsure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love\nof Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.\n\nDuring a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in\ndanger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children\nshould be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last\nthe mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the\nfour should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be\nspared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his\nfather, and they could not give either of them up; and then the\nyoungest--why, he was their pet, their darling, how could they give\n_him_ up? So they concluded that they would all perish together,\nrather than part with one of their little ones. When those children\nknew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved\nthem. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon\nthe cross, and he did so die, that \"not one of his little ones should\nperish.\"\n\n\"Being Loved Back Again.\" Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.\nShe was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet\nlullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her\nmother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as\npossible till she got through.\n\nIt seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down\nher pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:--\"Now I am through\nfor to-day, Alice, and you can make as much noise as you please.\"\n\nIn a moment Alice laid down her doll, and running to her mother,\nthrew her arms round her neck, and nestled sweetly in her loving\nbosom.\n\n\"I'm so glad,\" said Alice, \"I wanted to love you so much, mamma.\"\n\n\"Did you, darling?\" and the mother clasped the little one tenderly in\nher arms. \"I am very glad that my little girl loves me;\" replied her\nmother, \"but I thought you were not very lonely while I was writing;\nyou and dollie seemed to be having a good time together.\"\n\n\"Yes, we had, mamma; but I always get tired of loving dollie after\nawhile.\"\n\n\"Do you, dear? Tell me why?\"\n\n\"O, because she never loves me back again.\"\n\n\"And is _that_ why you love me?\"\n\n\"That is _one why_, mamma; but not the first one, or the best one.\"\n\n\"And what is the first, and best?\"\n\n\"Why, mamma, can't you guess?\" and the little girl's blue eyes grew\nvery bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. \"It's\nbecause you loved me when I was too little to love you back; _that's_\nwhy I love you so.\"\n\nAnd what a reason this is why we should love Jesus! He loved us when\nwe were too little to love him back. The Bible says--\"We love him\nbecause _he first_ loved us.\" He loved us before we knew him, or had\never heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world\nwas made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he\nmeans when he says:--\"I _have loved thee with an everlasting love.\"_\nJer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that\nwill never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of\nit, we may well sing out our thankfulness in the words of the hymn:\n\n  \"I am glad that our Father in heaven\n  Tells of his love in the Book he has given;\n  Wonderful things in the Bible I see;\n  This is the sweetest, that Jesus loves me.\n    I am so glad that Jesus loves me,\n    Jesus loves--_even me_\"\n\nAnd when we think of all the kind words and actions of Jesus, by\nwhich he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that\nwe see in them is--great love.\n\n_Now, let us take another look at this part of our Saviour's life,\nand the second thing that we see in it is_--GREAT WISDOM.\n\nIt is wise to take care of the children and try to bring them to\nJesus when young, _because then they are easily controlled_.\n\nSuppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a\ngreen shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about\na foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch\nof thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in\na particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just\nthat way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite\ndirection. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is\ntrue, as the poet says, \"Just as the twig is bent, the tree's\ninclined.\" But, suppose we let it grow for twenty or thirty years,\nand then come back to it. It is now a great oak tree. There is an\nugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No\npower on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or\nbreak it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.\n\nSuppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of\nthe Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two\nlittle fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a\nfinger we might trace the course in which either of those little\nsprings should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the\nmountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy\nto control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the\nmountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a\ngreat river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the\nlittle spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The\ntime for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.\n\nIt is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the\nriver. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to\nbring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.\n\nIt is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to\nJesus--_because they have great influence in the world_.\n\nWho can tell the influence that children are exerting in the world?\nWe have an illustration of this in the words that were once spoken by\nThemistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a\nlittle boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child\nhad very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and\nsaid to a friend, \"Look at that child; he has more power than all\nGreece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that\nchild's mother rules me, and he rules his mother.\"\n\nI feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has\ndone, who writes in this way about\n\nTHE GOOD THAT CHILDREN DO.\n\n  \"A dreary place would be this earth\n    Were there no little people in it;\n  The song of life would lose its mirth\n    Were there no children to begin it;\n\n  \"No little forms, like buds to grow,\n    And make the admiring heart surrender;\n  No little hands, on breast and brow,\n    To keep the thrilling love-chords tender.\n\n  \"No babe within our arms to leap,\n    No little feet towards slumber tending;\n  No little knee in prayer to bend,\n    Our loving lips the sweet words lending.\n\n  \"Life's song indeed would lose its charm,\n    Were there no babies to begin it;\n  A doleful place this world would be,\n    Were there no little people in it.\"\n\nAnd if children have so great an influence in the world it was wise\nin Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might\nlearn to use that influence in the best possible way.\n\nAnd then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, _because\nbringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great\nblessing_.\n\nWe are all familiar with Dr. Watts' sweet hymn, which says:\n\n\"'Twill save us from a thousand snares\n  To mind religion young.\"\n\nHere is a striking illustration of this truth in the history of:\n\n\"One Neglected Child.\" A good many years ago, in one of the upper\ncounties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She\nwas not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as\nshe pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that\npart of the country. She had a large family of children, who became\nabout as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a\ncurse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that\ntwo hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single\ngeneration of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of\nthese died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow\nup, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all\nthe others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the\npenitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this\nwoman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the\nvery worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county\nin which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the\nuntold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.\nHow different the result would have been if this poor child had been\nbrought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!\n\n\"The Result of Early Choice.\" Here is a short story of two boys, of\nthe choice they made when young, and the different results that\nfollowed from that choice.\n\nA minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the\nconvicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk\nand looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face\nseemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this\nman's cell, to have some conversation with him.\n\n\"I remember you very well, sir,\" said the prisoner. \"We were boys in\nthe same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each\nother on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as\nyours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of\nGod, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made\nchoice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored\nminister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served\nten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for\nlife.\"\n\nJesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early\nbrought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words\nthat he spake when he said--\"Suffer the little children to come unto\nme.\"\n\n_In the next place there was_--GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT--_in what Jesus\ndid and said about children_.\n\nIf a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of\na monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty\nhard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with\nsoldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say\nto the children--\"what do you want here?\" And if the children should\nsay, \"Please sir, we wish to go into the palace and see the queen,\"\nthe answer would be: \"Go away; go away. The queen is too busy. She\nhas no time to attend to little folks like you.\" And the children\nwould have to go away without getting to see the queen.\n\nBut, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly\nthrone. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world\nput together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any\nof his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great\nthrone in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on\nearth--\"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them\nnot.\" And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come\nto him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest\nin them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and\nserve him. Here are some illustrations of this:\n\n\"Learning to Love Jesus.\" \"A little girl came to me one day,\" said a\nminister of the gospel, and said, \"'Please sir, may I speak to you a\nminute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by\nthe hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'\n\n\"'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her\neyes, 'it's a dreadful thing; but I don't love Jesus.'\n\n\"'And are you not going to love him?' I asked.\n\n\"'I don't know; but please sir, I want you to tell me how.' She spoke\nsadly, as if it was something she never could do.\n\n\"'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any\none else ever did, says that \"we love him because he first loved us.\"\nNow if you go home to-night, saying in your heart, \"_Jesus loves\nme_,\" I think that to-morrow you will be able to say--\"I love\nJesus.\"'\n\n\"She looked up through her tears, and repeated the words very softly,\n'Jesus loves me.' She began to think about it on her way home, as\nwell as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the\ncross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to\nfeel it too.\n\n\"The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her\nhands in mine, with a bright happy face, she said:\n\n\"'Oh! please sir, I love Jesus now; for I know he does love me so!'\"\n\nHere was a little one encouraged to come to Jesus by thinking of the\ninterest he feels in children.\n\n\"Doesn't He Love to Save?\" A mother had just tucked her little boy in\nbed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at\nhis bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was\nfeeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day\nhe had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his\nsorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped\ndown for the last kiss, he said--\"Is it all settled, mother?\"\n\n\"Yes, my child,\" she said, \"it's all settled with me; but have you\nsettled it all with Jesus?\" \"Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive\nme: and I believe him when he says he will; for _doesn't he love to\nhelp and save children_?\" \"He does, my child, he does,\" said his\nmother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the\njoy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but\nrevealed to babes.\n\nHere we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from\nthe assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to\nhelp and bless them.\n\n\"Love Leads to Love.\" A little boy named Charley stood at the window\nwith his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed\ntheir morning meal of cherries from the tree near their house.\n\"Mother,\" said Charley, \"How the birdies all love father.\"\n\n\"They do,\" said his mother, \"but what do you suppose is the reason\nthat the birdies love your father?\"\n\nThis question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at\nfirst, but presently he said, \"Why mother all the creatures seem to\nlove father. My dog is almost as glad to see him as to see me. Pussy,\nyou know, always comes to him, and seems to know exactly what he is\nsaying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other\nday I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must\nbe because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give\npussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats\nher; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he\nis talking to these dumb creatures.\"\n\n\"I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little\nboy,\" said his mother.\n\nCharley smiled, and said, \"That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I\nlove him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles\nto them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they\ndon't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch\nthem. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father.\"\n\n\"Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be\nkind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull\npussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never\nthrow stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak\ngently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody\nthat knows you will love you too.\"\n\nNow Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the\ndumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved\nthem, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In\nthis way he encouraged them to come to him, and not be afraid of him.\n\nAnd this is just the way in which Jesus was acting when he did and\nsaid so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to\nunderstand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants\nthem to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who\nhears or reads about Jesus may feel encouraged to say:\n\n  \"Once in his arms the Saviour took\n    Young children just like me,\n  And blessed them with his voice and look\n    As kind as kind could be.\n\n  \"And though to heaven the Lord hath gone,\n    And seems so far away,\n  He hath a smile for every one\n    That doth his voice obey.\n\n  \"I'd rather be the least of them\n    That he will bless and own,\n  Than wear a royal diadem,\n    And sit upon a throne.\"\n\nAnd so we may well say that in what Jesus did and said about the\nchildren there is great encouragement.\n\n_And then there are_--GREAT LESSONS--_too, in this part of the life\nof Christ_.\n\nThere are two lessons taught us here. One is about _the work we are\nto do for Jesus here on earth_. When Jesus said to Peter, \"Lovest\nthou me? Feed my lambs,\" he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and\nall his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love\nto him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,\nwherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them\nabout Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and\nteaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that\nis most pleasing to him:--the work that he most loves to have his\npeople do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the\nwork of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that\nJesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of\nthem:--\"Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs.\"\n\n\"The Angel in the Stone.\" Many years ago there was a celebrated\nartist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a\ngreat painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved\nto see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great\npower and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was\nwalking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a\nblock of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and\nrubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day\nhappened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his\nbest suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his\ncoat, and went to work to clear away the rubbish from that marble.\nHis friends were surprised. They said to him:--\"Come on, let's go;\nwhat's the use of wasting your time on that good-for-nothing lump of\nstone?\"\n\n\"O, there's an angel in this stone,\" said he, \"and I must get it\nout.\"\n\nHe bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to\nwork with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of\nthat rough, unshapen mass of stone he made a beautiful marble angel.\n\nNow, every child born into our world is like such a block of marble.\nThe only difference is that children are living stones--marble that\nwill last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by\nhis help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just\nwhat Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble--we are getting\nthe angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us\ndo.\n\n\"How to Get the Angels Out.\" A Christian mother, whose children had\nall been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret\nof her success in bringing up her children. This was her\nanswer:--\"While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them\nday by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that\nblood which cleanseth from all sin; as I clothed them in the morning,\nI asked my heavenly Father to clothe them with the robe of Christ's\nrighteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed\ntheir souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the\nwater of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded\nthat their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to\ndwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed\ntheir youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life\nmight be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the\nperfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the\nsilent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father\nwould take them under his tender care and fold them in his loving,\neverlasting arms.\"\n\nLet Christian mothers follow this example and they will not fail to\nbring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has\ngiven them.\n\n\"The Best Time for Doing This.\" A faithful minister of Christ had a\ndear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When\nonly twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay\non her dying bed. \"As I sat by her bedside,\" says her father, \"among\nthe things she said which I shall never forget were these:--'Father\nyou know I joined the church when I was young--very young. Some of\nour friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could\ntell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then\nreaching out her hand--the fingers were already cold--and grasping\nmine, she said with great earnestness:--'Father, you are at work for\nthe young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the\nbest time--the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It\nis the best time--while they are young--the younger the better. Do\nall you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell\nasleep in Jesus.\"\n\nThis is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that\nJesus taught in what he said concerning the children.\n\nBut when we think of those sweet words of Jesus--\"Of such is the\nkingdom of heaven,\" we are _taught a lesson about the company we\nshall meet there_. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this\nsubject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are\naccountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons\nborn into our world more than half of them die before they reach this\nage. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company\nof heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet\nthought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love\nthem.\n\nAnd some people think that when young children die and go to heaven,\nthey will not grow up to be men and women, but will always remain\nchildren. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a\nfather meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he\ndid, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and\nsize as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own\nthought on this subject in a single line:\n\n    \"A babe in glory, is a babe forever.\"\n\nBut God has not said anything on this subject in the Bible. And when\nhe himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible\nfor us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to\nheaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is\nthe best way.\n\nAnd then Jesus shows us plainly _what our character must be if we\nhope to go to heaven and join the happy company there_.\n\nThese are the words he spake on this subject; \"Verily I say unto you,\nwhosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he\nshall not enter therein.\" Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of\nthe best things that we find marking the character of a good child.\nSuch a child is gentle, and loving, and kind; and this must be our\ncharacter, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be\ntaught:--believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does\neverything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if\nwe hope to enter heaven.\n\nAnd so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and\nthink of all that he did and said to show his interest in children,\nwe see these four great things in it: viz., great love; great wisdom;\ngreat encouragement; and great lessons.\n\nI know not how to express in a better way the feelings which should\nbe in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great\nsubject, than in the words of one who has thus sweetly written:\n\n    \"Lamb of God! I look to Thee,\n    Thou shalt my example be;\n    Thou art gentle, meek and mild;\n    Thou wast once a little child.\n\n    \"Fain I would be as Thou art,\n    Give me thy obedient heart:\n    Thou art pitiful, and kind;\n    Let me have thy loving mind.\n\n    \"Let me above all fulfill\n    God my heavenly Father's will;\n    Never his good Spirit grieve,\n    Only to his glory live.\n\n    \"Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb!\n    In thy gracious hands I am;\n    Make me, Saviour, what Thou art;\n    Live thyself within my heart.\n\n    \"I shall then show forth thy praise;\n    Serve thee all my happy days;\n    Then the world shall always see\n    Christ, the Holy Child in me.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRANSFIGURATION\n\n\n\n\n\nThis was one of the most surprising scenes in the life of our blessed\nLord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his\nhistory. He \"came to visit us in great humility.\" When we read how he\nwas born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had \"not where\nto lay his head;\" when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and\nsuffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to\nthink of him as \"the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.\" And\nthough, when we remember how he healed the sick, and cast out devils,\nand raised the dead to life again; how he walked upon the waters, and\ncontrolled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems\nwonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his\nearthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene\nof the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.\n\nThe account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We\nfind it described by St. Matt, xvii: 1-13. St. Mark ix: 2-13. St.\nLuke ix: 28-29.\n\nA short time before this took place, Jesus had told his disciples how\nhe was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to\ndeath, be buried, and be raised again on the third day. St. Matt,\nxvi: 21. He also told them of the self-denial, which all who became\nhis disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different\nfrom what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to\nthem. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the\nworld to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled\nwith the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an\nearthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were\nexpecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with\nhim. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To\nencourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they\ndied, some of them should \"see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.\"\n\nAnd then, some days after this, he took three of his disciples, the\nfavored John and James and Peter, and went up with them \"into a\nmountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them.\" We\nare not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,\nnear Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long\nbeen regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons\nthink that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits\nof Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the\nprincipal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that\nin those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,\nand this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be\ndesired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to\nthink that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this\nmountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent\nthere now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And\noutside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its\nwalls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be\nparticularly suitable for such a scene as this.\n\nBut, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of\nTransfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those\nwho think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who\nthink it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove\nthat they are mistaken in thinking so.\n\nAnd when we come to consider this great event in the life of our\nSaviour, there are _two_ things to speak of in connection with it;\nthese are the _wonders_ we see in it; and the _lessons_ we may learn\nfrom it. Or, to express it more briefly--The Transfiguration--its\nwonders, and its lessons.\n\nThere are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be\nlearned from this subject.\n\n_The first wonder is_--THE WONDERFUL CHANGE--that took place in the\nappearance of our Lord on this occasion.\n\nJesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the\nclose of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from\nSt. Luke's account,--chap. ix: 32--that Peter and his companions were\nweary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were\nsleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in\nprayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it\nwas--\"_as he prayed_.\"\n\nLet us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this\nchange. St. Matthew says--\"He was transfigured before them: and his\nface did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.\"\nSt. Mark says, \"His raiment became exceeding white as snow, so as no\nfuller\"--one who cleans, or whitens cloth--\"on earth can white them.\"\nSt. Luke says--\"As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was\naltered, and his raiment was white and glistening.\"\n\nThese are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If\nthe disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to\ntake place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone\nto sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them\nand this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,\nasleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the\ntaking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep\nwill often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples\nshould have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and\nglory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they\nmust have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would\nnever forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a\ncentury after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no\ndoubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of\nJesus;--\"_we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of\nthe Father_\" St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.\nPeter thus refers to it:--\"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For\nhe received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came\nsuch a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son\nin whom I am well pleased.\" II. Pet. i: 16, 17.\n\nOne object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took\nplace was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the\nfollowers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now\nis in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his\nkingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,\nand the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to\ncounterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory\nthat is to shine around him forever.\n\nHow wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When\nthey had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had\nseen him as \"the man of sorrows,\" in his plain everyday dress, such\nas they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they\nawoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his\nraiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.\n\nTo what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before\nyou the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but\nthere is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it\nappears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them\nagain. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking\nbulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the\nlily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully\ndeveloped and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous\nchange that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration\nof the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his\ntransfiguration.\n\nHere is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western\nsky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are\ncovering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.\nThere is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care\nto take a second look at them. We turn from them for a little while,\nand then look at them again. In the meantime, the setting sun has\nthrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All\nthat was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they\nglow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow\nare blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds\nthat we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been\ntransfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have\nan illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about\nthis incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in\nhis appearance then.\n\n_The second wonder about the transfiguration is_--THE WONDERFUL\nCOMPANY--_that appeared with our Saviour then_.\n\nAt the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some\nwonderful company too, but it was different from what he had now.\n_Then_, we are told that \"_angels came, and ministered unto him_.\"\nAnd in the garden of Gethsemane, when he was sinking to the earth,\novercome by the terrible agony through which he was passing, he had\nmore company of the same kind; for we read that--\"_there appeared\nunto him an angel from heaven strengthening him.\"_ St. Luke xxii: 43.\nBut it was not the company of angels that waited on him at the time\nof his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, \"there appeared unto\nhim Moses, and Elias,\" or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the\nangels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these\ndistinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven\nto visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer\nthese questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he\nhimself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory\nthat will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall\nappear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those\nwho shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and\ncome with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who\nshall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,--\"_be\nchanged in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye_\"--I. Cor. xv: 52,\n53--and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those\nwho have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of\nChrist's people were represented by the distinguished persons who\nformed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.\nMoses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene\ntook place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is\nsupposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from\nthe dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses\nrepresented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again\nat his coming. Elijah had been in heaven for almost a thousand years.\nHe had never died, and never lain in the grave. He was translated.\nThis means that he was taken up to heaven without dying. But St. Paul\ntells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter\nheaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that\nblessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in\nhis chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over\nhis body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's\npeople who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.\n\nJesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear\nwhen he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias \"appeared with him\nin glory,\" to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they\nenter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these\nvery persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that\ncame to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was\nwonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a\nwonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like\nit has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again\ntill Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The\nsecond wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.\n\n_The third wonder connected with this great event was_--THE WONDERFUL\nCONVERSATION--_that took place between Jesus and his visitors_.\n\nAll the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of\nthis conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact\nthat Moses and Elias \"were talking with Jesus;\" but they do not tell\nus the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they\ntalked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, \"_they\nspake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_\" This\nmeans that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to\nsuffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just\ncome down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,\nand where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time\nwhen they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of\ntalking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why\nthey did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And\nyet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from\nheaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he\nhad told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they\nwere to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well\nhow Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the\ncross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the\nheart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on\nthe cross, and it was the delight of his heart--the very joy of his\nsoul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable\nimportance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his\nsense of its importance when he said, \"God forbid that I should\nglory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus.\" Gal. vi: 14. He puts the\nword \"_cross_\" of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the\nsame thing.\n\nSome one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that\nopens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we\nrefuse to hear and obey the words of Jesus, it becomes a key of iron,\nand opens the gate of destruction before us.\n\n\"The Power of the Cross.\" A heathen ruler had heard the story of the\ncross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his\nend, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay\nit down in his chamber. When this was done, he said--\"Take me now and\nlay me on the cross, and let me die there.\" As he lay there dying he\nlooked in faith to the blood of Christ, that was shed upon the cross,\nand said--_\"It lifts me up: it lifts me. Jesus saves me!_\" and thus\nhe died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death\nof Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed--the death of which\nMoses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They\nknew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and _this_ was\nwhy they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful\nhymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found\nin the cross of Christ.\n\n  \"Oppressed with noonday's scorching heat,\n    To this dear cross I flee;\n  And in its shelter take my seat;\n    No _shade_ like this to me!\n\n  \"Beneath this cross clear waters burst;\n    A fountain sparkling free;\n  And here I quench my desert thirst,\n    No _spring_ like this to me.\n\n  \"A stranger here, I pitch my tent\n    Beneath this spreading tree;\n  Here shall my pilgrim life be spent,\n    No _home_ like this to me!\n\n  \"For burdened ones a resting place\n    Beside this cross I see;\n  Here, I cast off my weariness;\n    No _rest_ like this for me!\"\n\nMoses and Elias understood how the blessing of the world was to flow\nout from that death upon the cross which Jesus was to suffer; and so,\nwe need not wonder that during the short visit which they made to\nJesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above\nall others, about which they desired to talk with him--was his death\nupon the cross,--\"his decease, which he should accomplish at\nJerusalem.\"\n\nThese are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration--the\nwonderful change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful\nconversation.\n\nAnd this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is--_the\nthree lessons_ taught by the Transfiguration.\n\n_The first of these is_--THE LESSON OF HOPE.\n\nOne thing for which the Transfiguration took place was to show us\nwhat we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.\nWe are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is\ndescribed. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded\nthat of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given\nMoses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of\nthem that--\"they appeared in _glory_.\" St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the\nmeaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself\nhad when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and\nthe same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which\nmade his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we\nare loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share\nwith him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the\nbeautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are\nthe words of that prayer: \"O God, whose blessed Son was manifested\nthat he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;\nGrant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify\nourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with\npower and great glory, _we may be made like unto him in his eternal\nand glorious kingdom;_ where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy\nGhost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.\nAmen.\"\n\nAnd it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible\nteaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this\nmay be called \"_a hope that maketh not ashamed_,\" Rom. v: 5; \"_a good\nhope through grace_,\" II. Thess. ii: 16; \"that _blessed hope_,\" Tit.\nii: 13; \"_a lively hope_,\" I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be\nspoken of as \"_a helmet_\"--to cover the head in the day of battle;\nand as \"an anchor\" to keep the soul calm and steadfast when the\nstorms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with\nJesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to\nteach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be\nhereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of\nTransfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be\ntrue. But no matter how great, or how good it is--_it is true_. Jesus\ntaught this lesson of hope when he said--speaking of the time when he\nshall come in his kingdom, \"_Then shall the righteous shine forth as\nthe sun in the kingdom of their Father_,\" St. Matt, xiii: 43. He\ntaught us the same lesson, in his prayer to his Father, when he said,\nspeaking of all his people, \"_And the glory which thou gavest me, I\nhave given them_,\" St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us\nthe same lesson, when he said,--\"We know that when he shall appear\n_we shall be like him_,\" I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make\nthis lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we\nare made sure about other things we have not seen.\n\n\"How we Know There is a Heaven.\" A Sunday-school teacher was talking\nto one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when\nwe reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten\nyears old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:\n\"But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there\nreally is any such place?\"\n\n\"Charlie,\" said the teacher, \"you have never been to London; how do\nyou know there is such a city?\"\n\n\"O, I know that very well,\" said Charlie, \"because my father is\nthere; and he has sent me a letter, telling me all about it.\"\n\n\"And God, my Father, is in the heavenly city,\" said Miss D., \"and he\nhas sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about\nthe way to get there. The Bible is God's letter.\"\n\n\"Yes, I see,\" said Charlie, after thinking awhile, \"there must be a\nheaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there.\"\n\nThe lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the\nTransfiguration.\n\n_The next lesson taught us here is_--THE LESSON\n\nOF INSTRUCTION.\n\nThe great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's\nlife for _this_ reason, among others, that we might learn from it\n_how we are to think of Christ_. While the disciples were gazing on\nthe glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were\nthere, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may\nsuppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from\nthe view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone\nfor them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing\ncloud, saying--\"_This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well\npleased_.\" This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on\nthis occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and\nall God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the\nFather, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to\nthink of him in the same way. His will, his command is that \"_all men\nshould honor the Son, even as they honor the Father_,\" St. John v: 3.\nMoses and Elias were great men in their day. They appeared on this\noccasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as\nif to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the\ngreatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and\npriests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must\nlove him--and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so\noften sing, show us how God would have us think and feel towards him:\n\n  \"All hail the power of Jesus' name\n    Let angels prostrate fall;\n  Bring forth the royal diadem,\n    And crown him Lord of all.\n\n  \"Let every kindred, every tribe,\n    On this terrestrial ball,\n  To him all majesty ascribe,\n    And crown him Lord of all.\"\n\n\"How Christ Should be Honored.\" There is a story told of the Emperor\nTheodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor\nChrist. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One\nof these believed and taught the divinity of Christ--or that he is\nequal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and\ntaught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored\nand worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter\nparty. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his\nfather determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a\nlaw that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were\ndue to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident\noccurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he\nheld respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When\nArcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the\nofficers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on\nthe emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and\nto pay their respects to his son.\n\nAmong those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He\nwas very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of\nChrist, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.\n\nComing into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects\nto him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to\nretire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the\nemperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, \"Do\nyou take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him\na partner with myself in the government of the empire?\"\n\nThe good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he\nlaid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so--\"The Lord bless\nthee, my son!\" and was again turning to retire.\n\nEven this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of\nsurprise and displeasure, \"Is _this_ all the respect you pay to a\nprince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?\"\n\nWith great warmth the bishop answered--\"Does your majesty resent so\nhighly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him\nwith equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the _Eternal God_--the\nKing of heaven--think of you, who refuse to render to his only\nbegotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?\"\n\nThis had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on\nthis subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who\nacknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as\nthey honored the Father.\n\nAnd so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration\nwas the _lesson of instruction_. We must learn to think of Christ as\nthe Father in heaven thinks of him.\n\n_And then there is_--A LESSON OF DUTY--_that comes to us from this\nTransfiguration scene_.\n\nWe are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by\nthe voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed\nthem. These are the words:--\"_Hear Him.\"_ \"This is my beloved Son, in\nwhom I am well pleased: _Hear Him_.\" This is God's command to every\none of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has\nto say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many\nthings. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is\nwhat we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: \"_Seek ye_ FIRST _the kingdom of\nGod_.\" This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve\nhim while we are young. We must do this _first_,--before we do\nanything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear\nand obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should\ndo this.\n\nWe should \"hear him\" because there is _safety_ in it. We are exposed\nto dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the\nmidst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us\nto do. Here is an illustration of what I mean.\n\n\"Life in the Midst of Danger.\" There was an alarm of fire one day,\nnear one of our large public schools. The children in the school were\ngreatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began\nto rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door\nwas soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the\nschool-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were\nbruised and wounded in other ways.\n\nBut there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat\nduring all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded\nchildren had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,\nthe teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and\ndid not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.\n\n\"My father is a fireman,\" she said, \"and he has always told me that\nif ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain\nquiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully\nfrightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so\nI sat still, while the others were running to the door.\" This little\ngirl _heard_ her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to\ndo, and she found safety in doing so. And if we \"_hear him_\" of whom\nthe voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us--we shall\nfind safety from many a danger.\n\nWe ought to learn this lesson of duty, and \"hear him,\" because there\nis _success_ in it.\n\nIn old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a\nman wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to\nfix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it\nfixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in\nracing who did not do this.\n\nHere is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the\npoint now before us.\n\n\"How to Walk Straight.\" A light snow had fallen in a certain village,\nand some of the village boys met to make the best use they could of\nthe new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep\nenough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion\nby playing at making tracks in the snow.\n\nThere was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing\nin the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on\nopposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given\nsignal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of\nthem; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the\nstraightest track.\n\nThe signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and\nreturned to the tree. \"Now, boys, who has made the straightest\ntrack?\" said one of the boys, named James Allison.\n\n\"Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all,\" said\nThomas Sanders.\n\n\"I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow\nis so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way,\" said\none of the boys.\n\nAnd then, looking to their successful companion, they said--\"Tell us,\nHarry, how you managed to make so straight a track?\"\n\nNow mark what Harry said:--\"I fixed my eye on yonder tall pine tree\non the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never\nlooked away from it till I reached the fence.\"\n\nThe other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No\nwonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a\nChristian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world\nto heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in\nwhich Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We\nhave seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what\nSt. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through\nthis world to heaven. _This_ is what he says:\n\n\"One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and\nreaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the\nmark, for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus,\"\nPhil, iii 13,14. This was just what the racer used to do in the\nancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right\nforward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did\nin his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned\nto the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul\nfixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world\ntill he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing\nthis, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught\nby the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. \"_Hear\nhim_,\" said that voice. And if you and I listen to it, and obey it,\nas St. Paul did, it will lead us to follow him as he followed Christ;\nand then we shall make a straight path through this world to heaven,\nas he did in his Christian course. There is success in doing this.\n\nAnd then there is--_profit_--in learning this lesson, as well as\nsafety and success.\n\nDavid says, when speaking of God's commands, \"In keeping of them\nthere is _great reward,\"_ Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's\ncommands; and it is especially true of the command we are now\nconsidering--\"Hear him.\"\n\nSamuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor\nto the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the\ngreatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered\nhim with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the\nchurch of Christ in every age.\n\n\"The Reward of Obedience.\" Here is an Eastern story which illustrates\nthis point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted\nhill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This\ntreasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach\nthe top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the\npromise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,\nwere--do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But\nthere was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,\nif you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young\npersons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of\nthe hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of\nthe hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of\nmusic were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by\nto stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for\nthe prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see\nwhere the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into\nstones. \"Hence,\" says the story, \"in a little while the hillside was\ncovered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected\nthe command given them when they started.\"\n\nOf course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us\na good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.\nThe treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us\nin heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,\nfrom the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that\nsurround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us\nfrom the Transfiguration scene--\"Hear him\"--is the only thing that\ncan preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says\nto us--\"follow me;\" if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he\nwill carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the\ntop of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us\nlearn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is\nsuccess in it; there is profit in it.\n\nAnd so we have spoken of two things in connection with the\nTransfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the\nlessons taught by it. The wonders are three--the wonderful\nchange--the wonderful company--and the wonderful conversation; and\nthe lessons are three--the lesson of hope--the lesson of\ninstruction--and the lesson of duty.\n\nIn leaving this subject, let us lift up our hearts to Jesus, and say,\nin the beautiful language of the Te Deum:\n\n    \"Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ!\n    Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.\n    When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death\n    Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.\n    Thou sittest at the right hand of God,\n    In the glory of the Father.\n    We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.\n    We therefore pray thee, help thy servants\n    Whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.\n    Make them to be numbered with thy saints,\n    In glory everlasting. Amen.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE LESSONS FROM OLIVET\n\n\n\n\n\nOur last chapter was on the Transfiguration. The next will be on The\nLast Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many\ninteresting incidents took place! How many important sayings that\nfell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our\ninstruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the\nbeautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts\ndepend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their\ngifts into the treasury. Among them came \"a certain poor widow,\ncasting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that\nthis poor widow hath cast in more than they all;--for she of her\npenury hath cast in all the living she had,\" Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from\namong all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or\ntwenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.\nWhere there are so many that might be taken, it has been very\ndifficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do\nnot think we could do better than join the company of the three\nfavored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with\nthem, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple\nin Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took\nhis seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some\nquestions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in\nSt. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the\ndisciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building\nand the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in\nit. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the\ntime was coming when it would be destroyed, and \"there should not be\nleft one stone upon another that should not be thrown down.\" This\nfilled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They\nsupposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.\nThey thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was\nspeaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them\nsomething more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around\nhim, on the Mount of Olives, they said, \"Tell us, when shall these\nthings be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be\nfulfilled?\" St. Mark xii: 4.\n\nAnd now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his\ndisciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of\nJerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its\npalaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its\nbeauty, is that sacred temple, that was \"forty and six years in\nbuilding.\" Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,\nare sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No\nwonder the Jews were so proud of it! It was a glorious building.\n\nBut now Jesus is beginning to speak. Let us listen to what he says.\nThe lessons that he taught on the Mount of Olives run all through the\ntwenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first\nof these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn\nto understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is\nto take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should\nlike, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be\nnow. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this\nchapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very\nsolemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take\nplace when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these\nparables is the one we are now to consider. It is called--\"The\nParable of the Talents.\" We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And _the\nlessons from Olivet_, which we are now to try and learn, are all\ndrawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just\nmentioned.\n\nThis, then, is our present subject--_The Lessons from Olivet_. And\nthere _four_ lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of\nwhich we are now to speak. _The first is--the lesson about the\nMaster. The second--the lesson about the servants. The third is--the\nlesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the\nrewards_.\n\n_The lesson about_--THE MASTER--_is the first thing of which we are\nto speak_.\n\nIn the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks\nof himself as--\"a man travelling into a far country,\"--and of his\npeople as--\"his own servants.\" In the 19th verse he speaks of himself\nas \"the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to\nreckon with them.\"\n\nIn St. Luke xix: 11-27 we have another of our Saviour's parables,\nvery similar to the one now before us. There, he speaks of himself as\n\"a _nobleman_ who went into a far country to receive for himself a\nkingdom, and to return.\" This language was borrowed from a custom\nthat prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of\nthe world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of\ndifferent countries received their appointments to the offices they\nheld from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded\nhis father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to\nRome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that\noffice. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to\nhimself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.\nAnd this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to\nhimself. He is the Head--the Prince--the Lord--the Master of all\nthings in his church. He spoke of himself to his disciples as their\n\"Lord and Master,\" St. John xiii: 14. He tells us that he has gone to\nheaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, \"to receive for himself a kingdom\nand to return.\" He said he would be absent \"a long time,\" verse 19.\nAnd this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred\nyears. He said he would \"return,\" or come again. And so he will. It\nis just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went\naway. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,\nas he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his\ndisciples, at the time of his departure. \"Ye men of Galilee, why\nstand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from\nyou into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen him\ngo into heaven,\" Acts i: 11. He said he would return, and so he will.\n\nBut, in the meantime, he would have us remember that he is still our\nLord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler\nas he has. God the Father has appointed him to be \"Head over all\nthings to his church,\" Ephes. i: 22. He is our Master, because he\n_made_ us. This is what no other ever did for his servants. He is our\nMaster because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for a\nsingle moment, but he keeps us all the time,--by night, and by day.\nAnd he is our Master because, when we had sold ourselves into sin,\nand were appointed unto death, _he redeemed us_. He bought us with\nthe price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for\nhim; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love\nhim;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his\nwondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our\nlips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.\n\nWe cannot be our own masters. \"I am my own master!\"--said a young\nman, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a\nwrong thing; \"I am my own master!\"\n\n\"That's impossible,\" said his friend. \"You can not be master of\nyourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything\naround you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and\nyour heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,\nand your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are\nstorms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men\nand evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't\nmaster them, they'll master you.\"\n\n\"That's so,\" said the young man.\n\n\"Now, I don't undertake any such thing,\" said his friend. \"I am sure\nI should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be\nhis own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be\nhis own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.\nI work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master\nall goes right. Think of these words,--'_He is your Master even\nChrist_.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely\nwin at last.\"\n\nAnd as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as\nour Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our\nmaster. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our\nchoice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If\nJesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.\nIf we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This\nis one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is\nspeaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the\njudgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand\nare those who took him for their Master. To them he says--\"Come, ye\nblessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,\nfrom the foundation of the world,\" St. Matt, xxv: 34.\n\nOn his left are those who took Satan for their master. The awful\nwords he speaks to them are:--\"Depart from, ye cursed, into\neverlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.\" St. Matt.\nxxv: 41.\n\nThis is our first lesson from Olivet--the lesson about the Master.\n\n_The second lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE SERVANTS.\n\nWe are told that before this nobleman went away to the far country,\nhe called to him \"his own servants.\" The nobleman here spoken of\nmeans Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is--who are\nmeant by \"his own servants?\" He has three kinds of servants. The\nfirst kind is made up of those who serve him _ignorantly_. This takes\nin all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,\nfor instance are the sun,--the moon,--the stars,--the mountains,--the\nhills,--the plains,--the valleys,--the rivers,--the seas,--the wind\nthat blows,--the rains that descend,--and the dews that distil; these\nall serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and\nthey do it; but they do it ignorantly. \"His kingdom _ruleth over\nall_,\" and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly\nwhat they were made for, but they do it ignorantly.\n\nAnd there is another class of our Lord's creatures who serve him\n_unwillingly_. This is a very large class. It takes in all the wicked\nmen, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not\nwish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged\nto do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which\nthe crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan\nstirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed\nthem to do it. They did it of their own choice--as freely, and as\nvoluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it\nbecause they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So\nthey nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was\nthe very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save\nand bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what\ntheir wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for\ngood. And, in this way, as David says, he \"makes the wrath of man to\npraise him, and the remainder of it he restrains.\" And thus we see\nhow evil men, and evil spirits, are God's servants _unwillingly_.\n\nBut then, there is another class of persons who serve God\n_willingly_. This takes in all those who know and love him. He speaks\nof them, in this parable as \"_his own_ servants.\" When they find out\nwhat he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with\nlove; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to\ndo, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means\nwhen he says--\"Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my\nburden is light,\" When we really love a person, anything that we can\ndo for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great\nlove for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and\nhis burden light to them.\n\n\"How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus.\" A little boy came to his\ngrandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.\nShe answered very simply, \"Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, _and\nbelieve he does it when you ask him_.\"\n\n\"Is that all?\" said the little fellow joyfully; \"oh! that is easy\nenough.\" So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked\nJesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,\nwho loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he\nleft his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now\none of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this\nis the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and\nbecome his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can\nbe serving him. As St. Paul says--\"whether we eat or drink, or\nwhatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God.\"\n\nA good man once said \"that if God should send two angels down from\nheaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a\nkingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter\nwould feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his\nbroom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is\ntrue. We see the same illustrated in the fable of:\n\n\"The Stream and the Mill.\" \"I notice,\" said the stream to the mill,\n\"that you grind beans as well and as cheerfully as you do the finest\nwheat.\" \"Certainly,\" said the mill; \"what am I here for but to grind?\nand so long as I work, what does it signify to me what the work is?\nMy business is to serve my master, and I am not a whit more useful\nwhen I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest\nmeal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing\nthat is given me to do in the best way that I can.\" That is true. And\nthis is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he\nsays to \"_his own_ servants,\" \"Occupy till I come.\" This means serve\nme, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your\nside.\n\n\"How to Serve God.\" Willie's mother let him go with his little sister\ninto the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on\nwhich their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very\nmuch in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his\nsister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. \"Mamma\nthaid no,\" was Willie's answer. \"The thaid we muthn't do off thith\nthreet,\" said Willie in his lisping way. \"Only just a little way\nround the corner,\" said his teasing sister. \"Mamma'll never know it.\"\n\n\"But I thall know it my own thelf; and I don't want to know any thuch\na mean thing; and I won't!\" And Willie straightened himself, and\nstood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that\nis the way in which we should try to serve our heavenly Master.\n\n\"How a Boy May Serve God.\" A gentleman met a little boy wheeling his\nbaby brother in a child's carriage. \"My little man,\" said the\ngentleman, \"what are you doing to serve God?\" The little fellow\nstopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he\nsaid:--\"Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he\nwon't worry mamma who is sick.\" That was a noble answer. In trying to\namuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that\nlittle boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel\nGabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some\nfar off world.\n\nAnd this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from\nOlivet.\n\n_The lesson about_--THE TALENTS--_is the third lesson that comes to\nus from Olivet_.\n\nThis parable tells us that before the Master went away, he \"called\nhis own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave\nfive talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according\nto his several ability.\" verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the\nparable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as\n_pounds_, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These\ntalents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something\nwith which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is\nplain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least _one_\ntalent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left\nwithout some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from\nOlivet which comes to us here is that every one of us has a talent,\nor a pound, that our Master Jesus, has given us, and which he expects\nus to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out\nwhat our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready\nto give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with\nus.\n\nA TALENT FOR EACH.\n\n  \"God entrusts to all\n    Talents few or many;\n  None so young and small\n    That they have not any.\n\n  \"Little drops of rain\n    Bring the springing flowers;\n  And I may attain\n    Much by little powers.\n\n  \"Every little mite,\n    Every little measure,\n  Helps to spread the light,\n    Helps to swell the treasure.\n\n  \"God will surely ask,\n    Ere I enter heaven,\n  Have I done the task\n    Which to me was given?\"\n\n\"One Talent Improved.\" One day, amidst the crowded streets of London,\na poor little newsboy had both his legs broken by a dray passing over\nthem. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On\nthe next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who\nhad been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and\nwant. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion\nand said:\n\n\"Bobby, did you ever hear about Jesus?\"\n\n\"No, I never heard of him.\"\n\n\"Bobby, I went to the mission-school once; and they told us that\nJesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and\nwe'd never have any more hunger or pain.\"\n\n\"But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for\nme. He wouldn't stop to speak to a poor boy like me.\"\n\n\"But hell do all that for you Bobby, if you ax him.\"\n\n\"But how can I ax him, if I don't know where he lives? and how could\nI get: there when both my legs is broke?\"\n\n\"Bobby, they told us, at the mission-school, as how Jesus passes by.\nThe teacher said he goes around. How do you know but what he might\ncome round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you\nwas to see him.\"\n\n\"But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says\nI'll die.\"\n\n\"Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he\npasses by.\" They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it\nagain, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little\nhand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, \"I give it\nup.\"\n\n\"Bobby,\" said his tender-hearted companion, \"lend me yer hand. Put\nyour elbow on my piller: I can do without it.\" So the hand was\npropped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but\nhis hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he\nheard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to\nhim for his pardon and grace, and salvation, to that poor dying boy?\nI do, I do.\n\nBobby's friend had been once to the mission-school. He had but a\nsingle talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to\nlead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.\n\n\"Good Friends.\" \"I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in\nlife!\" cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.\n\n\"Good friends,\" said his master, \"why you've got ten; how many do you\nwant?\"\n\n\"I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to\nhelp me.\"\n\n\"Count your fingers, my boy,\" said the master.\n\nDennis looked down on his big, strong hands. \"Count thumbs and all,\"\nadded the master.\n\n\"I have; there are ten,\" said the lad.\n\n\"Then never say you have not ten good friends, able to help you on in\nlife. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and\nfretting because you have none to help you.\"\n\nNow, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in\nthis little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before\nus, and say \"here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for\nhim. Let me try and do all the good I can with these ten talents.\"\n\nTHE BEST THAT I CAN.\n\n  \"'I cannot do much,' said a little star,\n    'To make the dark world bright;\n  My silvery beams can not struggle far\n    Through the folding gloom of night;\n  But I'm only a part of God's great plan,\n  And I'll cheerfully do the best I can.'\n\n  \"A child went merrily forth to play,\n    But a thought, like a silver thread,\n  Kept winding in and out, all day,\n    Through the happy golden head.\n  Mother said,--'Darling, do all you can;\n  For you are a part of God's great plan.'\n\n  \"So he helped a younger child along,\n    When the road was rough to the feet,\n  And she sung from her heart a little song\n    That we all thought passing sweet;\n  And her father, a weary, toil-worn man,\n  Said, 'I, too, will do the best I can.'\"\n\n\"A Noble Boy.\" \"Not long ago,\" said a Christian lady, \"I saw a boy do\nsomething that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with\ntenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me\ntell you what it was.\n\n\"As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man\nwalking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling\nhis way with his cane.\n\n\"'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said\nI to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help\nhim and start him in the right direction.'\n\n\"Just then, a boy, about fourteen years old, who was playing near by,\nran up to the old man and gently putting his hand through the man's\narm, said:--'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By\nthis time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not\nonly helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another\nto the lower side of the street. Then he ran back to his play.\n\n\"Now this boy thought he had only done an act of kindness to that old\nman. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one\ntalent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had\nwatched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that\nthey must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about\nthem.\n\n\"The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away\nwith a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good\nexample of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and\nloving towards every one, from what I saw that boy do.\n\n\"And then, another one that was made happy was the boy himself. For,\nit is impossible for us to do a kind act, or to make any one else\nhappy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To _be_ good and\nto _do_ good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in\nthis world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that\nwe should use them in this way.\"\n\n\"Tiny's Work for God.\" Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were\nsitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.\n\nBoth children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny\nraised her blue eyes and said, \"I _am_ so happy, Leila. I do love the\nflowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much.\" Then she\nadded, in a whisper, \"And I love God, who made us all so happy.\nSister, I wish I could do something for him.\"\n\n\"Mother says if we love him, that is what he likes best of all,\" said\nLeila.\n\n\"Yes, but I do want to _do_ something for him--something that would\ngive me trouble. Can't you think of anything?\"\n\nLeila thought a little, and said, \"Perhaps you could print a text\nfor the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the\nhospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text\nmight help them think about our Father in heaven.\"\n\n\"Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write--'Suffer\nthe little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'\"\n\nBut Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for\nher to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day\ntill the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and\nlaying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and\nsaid--\"Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from\nTiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.\" And God heard the prayer, for\nhe always listens when children truly pray.\n\nSo Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty\nflower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside\na bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as\nthe pillow on which he lay, and his dark eyes were filled with tears.\n\n\"Is the pain very bad to-day, Willie?\"\n\n\"Yes, miss; its dreadful-like. But it's not so much the pain as I\nmind. I'm used to that, yer know. Father beat me every day a'most,\nwhen he was drunk. But the doctor says I'm too ill for 'im to 'ave\nany 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die.\"\n\n\"If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be\nafraid to go and stay with him, Willie?\"\n\n\"Why no, I'd like to go, in course.\"\n\n\"I have brought you a message from a Friend, who has loved you all\nyour life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with\nhim. He will love you always, and you will always be happy.\"\n\nThen the lady read Tiny's text, \"_Suffer the little children to come\nunto me, and forbid them not._\" She told him how Jesus had died, and\nthen had risen again, and had gone to heaven, to prepare a place for\n_him_, and for many other children. She told him how Jesus is still\nsaying \"Come,\" and his hand is still held out to bless.\n\nSo Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A\nfew days afterwards he whispered--\"Lord Jesus, I am coming;\" and he\ndied with Tiny's text in his hand.\n\nThat little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped\nto bring a soul to Jesus.\n\nEVERY TALENT USEFUL.\n\n    \"Though little I bring,\n    Said the tiny spring,\n    As it burst from the mighty hill,\n    'Tis pleasant to know,\n    Wherever I flow,\n    The pastures are greener still.\n\n    \"And the drops of rain\n    As they fall on the plain,\n    When parched by the summer heat,\n    Refresh the sweet flowers\n    Which droop in the bowers,\n    And hang down their heads at our feet.\n\n    \"May we strive to fulfill\n    All His righteous will,\n    Who formed the whole earth by His word!\n    Creator Divine!\n    We would ever be Thine,\n    And serve Thee--our God, and our Lord!\"\n\nLet us never forget this third lesson from Olivet, the lesson\nabout,--the talents.\n\n_The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE\nREWARDS.\n\nThe parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned\nwith his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use\nof his talents:--\"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast\nbeen faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many\nthings; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.\" In the parable in St.\nLuke we are told that the servant who had gained ten pounds was made\nruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made\nruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his\npeople, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which\neach one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the\nlesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, \"Every\nman shall receive _his own reward_ according to _his own labor.\"_ I.\nCor. iii: 8.\n\nAll the willing, loving servants of God will receive a crown of life\nwhen Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be\nall alike. They are spoken of as \"crowns of gold:\" Rev. iv: 4; as\n\"crowns of glory:\" I. Peter v: 4, and as \"crowns of life:\" Rev. iii:\n11. But still there will be very great differences between these\ncrowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any\ngems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small\njewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most\nbeautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this\nwill all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns\nused their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work\nthey did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history\nabout a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very\nwell.\n\n\"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards.\" This man had served forty\nyears in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spent\nas a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present\nin one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded\nforty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having\nsaved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for\nhaving been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;\nand eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued\nthe standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in\nhis house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden\nspears, and twenty-three horse trappings,--the rewards for his many\nfaithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all\nthose honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,\nhow well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous\nprizes--that he had \"received _his own reward_, according to _his own\nlabor_,\" and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the\ncross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their\nheavenly Master.\n\n\"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed,\" Some years ago there was a\ncelebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one\noccasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he\nwas painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the\nrichest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He\nhappened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to\nget a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his\npainting.\n\n\"Wait till to-morrow,\" said Mr. Rothschild, \"and I will dress myself\nup as a beggar, and make you an excellent model.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of\nthe proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a\nbeggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was\nengaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.\nHe was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model\nbeggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed\nhim, he slipped a louis d'or--a French gold coin, worth about five\ndollars of our money--into his hand. The pretended beggar took the\ncoin, and put it in his pocket.\n\nTen years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money\nreceived an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand\nfrancs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:\n\n\"Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the\nstudio of Ary Scheffer. He has invested it, and made good use of it,\nand to-day he sends you the capital you entrusted to him, together\nwith the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by\na good reward.\n\n\"JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD.\"\n\nIn those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had\nincreased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in\nwhich Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents\nfor him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says--\"Whosoever\nshall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold\nwater only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall\nin _no wise lose his reward_.\" St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place\nwe are told that the reward shall be \"an hundred fold,\" and shall run\non into \"everlasting life.\" St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one\nhas thus written about\n\nTHE REWARD OF HEAVEN.\n\n    \"Light after darkness, gain after loss,\n    Strength after weariness, crown after cross;\n    Sweet after bitter, song after sigh,\n    Home after wandering, praise after cry;\n    Sheaves after sowing, sun after rain,\n    Light after mystery, peace after pain;\n    Joy after sorrow, calm after blast,\n    Rest after weariness, sweet rest at last;\n    Near after distant, gleam after gloom,\n    Love after loneliness, life after tomb.\n    After long agony, rapture of bliss,\n    Christ is the pathway leading to this!\"\n\nThe last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about the rewards. And\ntaking these lessons together, let us remember that they are--the\nlesson _about the Master_: the lesson _about the servants_: the\nlesson _about the talents_: and the lesson _about the rewards_.\n\nThe Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very\nsuitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:\n\n\"Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy\nfaithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we\nbeseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that\nwe fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all\nthat we can desire; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.\nAMEN!\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE LORD'S SUPPER\n\n\n\n\n\nWe are approaching now the end of our Saviour's life. The last week\nhas come, and we are in the midst of it. This is called Passion week.\nWe commonly use this word _passion_ to denote anger. But the first\nand true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it\ncomes, is--suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word\nused in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking\nof Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he\nuses this language: \"To whom he showed himself alive, after his\n_passion_;\" or after his suffering and death.\n\nIn the midst of this last week--this passion week--one of the\ninteresting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for\nthe last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept\nby the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the\nmost solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by\nthem in the night on which their nation was delivered from the\nbondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of\nCanaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in\nExodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the\nfourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of\nthe year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their\nfirst month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that\nmonth. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the\ntenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of\nthe month. On the evening of that day, they were to kill the lamb.\nThe blood of the lamb was to be sprinkled on the two side-posts and\nupper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,\nwith solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the\nangel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with\nhis unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,\nin every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in\nthe land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in\nwhich the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the\nangel of death as he passed over the land. And so it came to pass.\nThe solemn hour of midnight arrived. The angel went on his way. He\ngave one stroke with his dreadful sword--and there was a death in\nevery Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the\nIsraelites, there was no one dead. What a wonderful night that was!\nNothing like it was ever known in the history of our world. It is not\nsurprising that the children of Israel, through all their\ngenerations, should have kept that Passover feast with great\ninterest--an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we\nwonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the\noccasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover\nwith his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, \"With\ndesire I have desired\" that is, I have earnestly, or heartily desired\n\"to eat this passover with you before I suffer,\" St. Luke xxii: 15.\nIt is easy to think of many reasons why Jesus should have felt this\nstrong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons\nwere, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very\nnaturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat\nthis Passover with them on earth. This showed that his public work,\nfor which he came into the world, was done. He had only now to suffer\nand die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in\nheaven.\n\nThis Passover had been one of the services established and kept for\nthe purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb\nof God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time\nhad come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for\nso many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true\nLamb of God, had come. He was about to die for the sins of the world.\nThen the Jewish church would pass away, and the Christian church\nwould take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,\ninstead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely\noffered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at\nliberty to come to Christ, and to receive from him pardon, and grace,\nand salvation, and every blessing.\n\nThere was enough in thoughts like these to make Jesus long to eat\nthis last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we\nhave an account of what took place when the time came for keeping\nthis Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following\nplaces: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:\n7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his\naccount at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one\nof the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of\nthe wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last\npassover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his\npeople.\n\nHere is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time\ncame to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from\nBethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,\nwhen they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher\nof water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where\nhe and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were\nalways great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this\nfestival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to\nthose who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of\nwhom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according\nto our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they\nneeded. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the\nevening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn\nfeast.\n\nMany of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the\ncompany as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are\naccustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in\nthose Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this\noccasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the\nfeast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches\nround the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping\nhimself to what he needed with his right hand.\n\nVarious incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The\ndisciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should\nbe greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give\nthem the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which\nwe have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was\nfeeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would\nbetray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of\nthem suspected himself--and asked sorrowfully--\"Lord, is it I?\" They\ndid not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected\nJudas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning\non the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In\nanswer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he\nshould give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then\nhe dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.\n\nAfter this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out\nand made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was\ndone from the beginning of the world--and that was the betrayal of\nhis great, and good, and holy Master, into the hands of his enemies.\nWhen Judas was gone, and before the Passover feast was finished,\nmaking use of some of the materials before him, Jesus established one\nof the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end\nof the world--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper--or the holy\nCommunion.\n\nThis is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter\nxxii: 19, 20--\"And he took the bread, and gave thanks, and brake it,\nand gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you:\nthis do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper,\nsaying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for\nyou.\" St. Matthew adds, and--\"for many.\"\n\nSuch is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's\nSupper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be\nobserved by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the\ntime when he shall come again into our world.\n\nAnd this solemn sacrament--this holy communion--this Supper of our\nLord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three\nreasons: these are its connection with _the word of his command--the\nmemory of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.\n\nJesus connected this sacrament with _the word of his command_ when he\nsaid--\"_This do_ in remembrance of me.\" St. Luke xxii: 19. This is\nthe _command_ of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did\nnot give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or\nto any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was\ngiven first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined\nto them. Jesus does not say--\"This do,\" ye who are my apostles; or,\nye who are my ministers. He does not say--\"This do,\" ye old men, or\nye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, \"This do.\" And the meaning\nof what he here says, is--\"This do,\" all ye who profess to be my\nfollowers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words\nthat he spake on another occasion come in very well here: \"If ye love\nme, keep my commandments.\" And _this_ is one of the commandments that\nhe expects all his people to keep. He points to his holy sacrament,\nwhich he has ordained in his church, and then to each one of his\npeople he says--\"This do.\" No matter whether we wish to do it or not;\nhere are our master's words--\"This do.\" No matter whether we see the\nuse of it, or not; Jesus says--\"This do.\" It is enough for each\nfollower of Jesus to say, \"here is my Lord's command; I _must_ obey\nit.\"\n\nIn an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every\nsoldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in\nitself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those\nsoldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's\norder, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,\nor of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his\ndispleasure:--he will order that soldier to be punished.\n\nBut the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is\nthe Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important\norders he has issued for his soldiers is--\"This do in remembrance of\nme.\" If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in\nhis army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased\nwith anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see\nhim pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he\nsaid to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:\n--\"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than the\nfat of rams.\" I. Sam. xv: 22.\n\nNo age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be\nallowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon\nas they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to\nserve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and\nparents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and\nbe tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of\nthis ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are\nsincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.\n\nIf a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter\nwas approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that\nthey might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would\nbe thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep\ninto the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.\nThis is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of\nthe lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is\nabsolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They\ncould not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would\ncertainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting\nyoung people to the Lord's Supper. They are not left out in the cold,\nlike the lambs in the field, even when not admitted to this holy\nordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good\nShepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in\ngrace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort\nof this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or\nmistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of\nbaptism, is, as the catechism says, \"_generally_ necessary to\nsalvation.\" This means that it is important \"where it may be had.\"\nBut, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from\npartaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that\nyoung people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love\nthe Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come\nforward to this holy sacrament.\n\nSome people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse\nthemselves, by saying that--\"they are not prepared to come.\"\n\nBut this will not release any one from the command of Christ--\"This\ndo.\"\n\nWhat the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a\nproper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the\nexhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here\nthe minister says--\"Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your\nsins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to\nlead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from\nhenceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy\nsacrament to your comfort.\" And there is no excuse for persons not\nbeing in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's\nword, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not\nyet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and\nthen there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of\nChrist, when he says--\"This do, in remembrance of me,\" By all the\nauthority which belongs to him our Saviour _commands_ us to keep this\nholy feast. And the first reason why we ought to \"do this,\" is\nbecause of its connection with the word of his command.\n\n_The second reason why we ought to \"do this\"--is because of its\nconnection with the memory of his sufferings_.\n\nWe are taught this by the word _remembrance_, which our Saviour here\nuses. He says, \"This do in remembrance of me.\" This means in\nremembrance of my sufferings for you. And _this_ is the most\nimportant word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is\nthe governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we\nmust be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach\nus by all he did and said on this occasion.\n\nYou know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to\nwhich a particular tune has been set. There is always one special\nnote in a tune, which is called the _key-note_. The leader of a\nchoir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of\nthe organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each\nmember of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they\nare to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,\nbecause they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to\ndo without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a\nsolemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set\nis this word--_remembrance_. It teaches us that the sacrament of the\nLord's Supper is a _memorial_ service. And, in going through the\nmusic to which the song of this service has been set, every note that\nwe use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed\nLord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained\nin this way. When he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples,\nsaying--\"This is my body, which is given for you: this do in\nremembrance of me,\" he meant that we should understand him as\nsaying--\"This is the _memorial_ of my body.\" And when he gave them\nthe cup, and said--\"This is my blood of the New Testament,\" he meant\nthat we should understand him as saying--\"This is the _memorial_ of\nmy blood.\" And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two\nreasons.\n\nOne reason for believing this is that _this was the way in which\nsimilar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and\nhis disciples were then keeping_.\n\nIn the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the\nbread, he always said--\"This is the bread of affliction.\" When he\ndistributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used\nto say--\"This is the body of the Passover.\"\n\nBut every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover\nwas a _memorial_ service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful\ndeliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.\nAnd the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when\nJesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover\nbread, saying--\"This is the bread of affliction:\" he did not mean to\nsay that _that_ was the very same bread which their forefathers had\neaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say\nwas--this is the bread which you are to eat in _memory_ of your\nforefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them\na piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, \"This is the body of the\nPassover;\" he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural\nsense, _that_ was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten\non the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the\nbody of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The\nPassover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover\nwere memorial words.\n\nAnd so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish\nchurch, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and\nbegan by saying, \"This do in _remembrance_ of me,\" what else could\nthe apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new\nservice of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the\nold festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the\nbroken bread, and said, \"This is my body;\" they could only have\nunderstood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when\nhe gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and\nsaid: \"This is my blood;\" they could only understand him as meaning\nthis is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had\njust before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have\nled the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used\nsimilar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong\nreason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.\n\nThere is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover\nand the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial\nservices. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a _dead_\nlamb--the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never\ncame to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the\nLamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and\nis alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up\nour adoring hearts to him and say for ourselves personally,\n\n  \"O, the Lamb! the loving Lamb!\n    The Lamb of Calvary!\n  The Lamb that was slain, but liveth again,\n    And intercedes for me!\"\n\nAnd though they are both memorial services, yet this one thought\nmakes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which\nthe pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he\ndrank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was\nnothing connected with those material substances that would do any\nspecial good to his soul. It is different, however, with our\nChristian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is\nclearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on\nthis subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is\nasked--\"What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?\" And\nthe answer to this question is--\"The strengthening and refreshing of\nour souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the\nbread and wine.\"\n\nHere we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service\nindeed, it is at the same time something more than that.\n\n_And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have\ncompelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that\noccasion, in this memorial sense_.\n\nThey could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread\nand wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any\nmysterious and supernatural way, become his actual flesh and blood;\nbecause, these were already before them in the form of his own body.\nAnd they could not be in his body and in the bread and wine, at the\nsame time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words--\"my body\"\nand \"my blood,\" was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his\ndisciples to understand him as saying \"Take this bread in remembrance\nof my body, which is to be crucified for you;\" and \"Take this wine in\nremembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you.\"\n\nThis was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words\namong them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to\nuse these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself\nshall give us authority to do so.\n\nLet us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviour\nhere. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn\nservice grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us\nfrom the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this\nsubject.\n\nAnd, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our\nmemories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once\nbore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the\nsaving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is\ntold of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he\nfound among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made\nof gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking\nfor awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his\nchoicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet\nHomer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory\naright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that\njeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in\nhis sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the\nmost precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this\nremembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can\nhave in trying to love and serve him better.\n\nHere is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may\ncall it:\n\n\"Love Stronger than Death.\" Some years ago there was a great fire in\none of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A\nmother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from\nhome. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl\nround herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of\nher mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the\nflames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's\nnight and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was\nthat was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of\nthe prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great\ncircle of flame was gathering round her.\n\nA little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising\nground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every\nnerve to reach it. At last she succeeded in doing so.\n\nFor a moment the poor mother and her child were comparatively safe.\nBut, on looking around, she saw that the flames were approaching her\nfrom opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terrible\ndeath by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap\nherself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there\nwere the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment\nwhat to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and\nround in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the\nfoot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she\ncovered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,\nand then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless\nlittle ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.\nThe raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of\ntrees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the\nwind and frost.\n\nThe next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his\nhome burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out to\nsearch for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.\nThere lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched\nand blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether she\nperished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting\nher burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping\nchildren. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes\nexclaiming, \"Mamma, is it morning?\" Yes: it was morning with that\nfaithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!\n\nNow, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had\npreserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock\nof the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,\nevery day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly it\nwould tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down\nher life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their\nhearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their\nrespect and love for such a mother!\n\nAnd so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn\nsacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful\nlove of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by\nkeeping his commandments.\n\nAnd as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in\nthe words of the hymn:\n\n    \"According to thy gracious word,\n    In meek humility,\n    This will we do, our dying Lord,\n    We will remember thee.\n    Thy body, broken for our sake,\n    Our bread from heaven shall be:\n    Thy sacramental cup we take,\n    And thus remember thee.\n\n    \"Can we Gethsemane forget?\n    Or there thy conflict see,\n    Thine agony and bloody sweat,\n    And not remember thee?\n    When to the cross we turn our eyes,\n    And rest on Calvary,\n    O Lamb of God, our sacrifice,\n    We must remember thee.\"\n\n_But Jesus has connected this blessed sacrament with the hope of his\nglory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his\nsufferings.\n\nHe made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of\nthis solemn service--\"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of\nthe vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's\nkingdom.\" St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the\nsame connection when he said, \"As often as ye eat this bread, and\ndrink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death, _till he come_.\" I. Cor.\nxi: 26. This sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the point of meeting\nbetween the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to\nfollow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his\nkingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.\n\nWe have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to\nhave wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that\nwas before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would\nbe a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going\nto happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years\nhence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,\n\"We know not what shall be on the morrow.\" No mortal man can tell\nwhat will happen to him as he takes the very next step in life.\n\nYet, this solemn sacrament is like such a magical mirror. We can look\ninto it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in\nthe future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. It\nleads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice\nfrom heaven declares--\"Blessed are they who are called to the\nmarriage supper of the Lamb.\" Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper\nrepresents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the\nglory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this\nsacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected\nwith that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful\npartakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shall\ncertainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it\nwill be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.\nThere we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified\nLord. Our eyes \"shall see the King in his beauty.\" And we shall see\nall his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them\nthere. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall\nfind all \"the exceeding great and precious promises\" of God's word\nfulfilled in our own personal experience.\n\nAnd then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the\nmany trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy\nwith our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his\nheavenly kingdom.\n\n\"The Hope of Glory.\" A Christian gentleman was in the habit of\nvisiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived\nin his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the\nwife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally\nhe failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the\nworld, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her\nown labor.\n\nAfter awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent\nfor her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was\nalways cheerful and happy. \"On going in to see her one day,\" says\nthis gentleman, \"I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling\nvery comfortable in her mind.\n\n\"'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and\ncheerful as you seem to feel now?'\n\n\"'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and\nI was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and\nrebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be\ntempted to take away my own life. But, in the good providence of God,\nI was led to read the Bible, and to pray for help from above. I\nbecame a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much\ncomfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have\nvery clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things\nhe has promised to do for his people in the future.\n\n\"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the\nwords--\"_Christ in you the hope of glory_.\" That was a blessed\ncommunion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that\nsacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his\npeople, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their\nminds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the\npast, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing\nin the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have\nnever had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons\nwere always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able\nto go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary\nand partake of the bread and wine, \"the outward and visible signs\"\nmade use of in the heavenly feast; yet, blessed be God's holy name, I\ncan, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs\nrepresent. I feel and know what it is to have \"Christ in me the hope\nof glory.\" And this \"satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do.\" I\nfind peace and comfort in simply \"looking unto Jesus.\" I have had\nmuch outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There\nis no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but\nlittle to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have to\nspend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me\nfrom lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven\nsinner, with \"Christ in me the hope of glory,\" for all the wealth and\nthe honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'\"\n\nWhat a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of\nhis peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and\nmost afflicted in the land!\n\nAnd thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our\nLord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has\nordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of his\ncommand--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.\n\nAnd when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others\npartaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of\nHavergal, the English poetess:\n\n    \"Thou art coming! At thy table\n    We are witnesses for this,\n    While remembering hearts thou meetest,\n    In communion closest, sweetest,\n    Earnest of our coming bliss.\n    Showing not thy death alone,\n    And thy love exceeding great,\n    But thy coming, and thy throne,\n    All for which we long and wait.\n\n    \"O the joy to see thee reigning,\n    Thee, our own beloved Lord;\n    Every tongue thy name confessing,\n    Worship, honor, glory, blessing,\n    Brought to thee with glad accord,\n    Thee our master and our Friend,\n    Vindicated and enthroned;\n    Unto earth's remotest end,\n    Glorified, adored, and owned.\"\n\n\"_THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME_.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS:\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOMAN OF CANAAN\n\n\n\n\nThen Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and\nSidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts,\nand cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, _thou_ son of\nDavid; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered\nher not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send\nher away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not\nsent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she\nand worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said,\nIt is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast _it_ to\ndogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which\nfall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto\nher, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou\nwilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.--_St.\nMatt. xv: 21-28_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood\nof Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within\nthe Syro-Phoenician border._\n\n\n\n\n\nSIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST\n\n\n\n\nWhen Jesus came into the coasts of C\u00e6sarea Philippi, he asked his\ndisciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they\nsaid, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; and\nothers, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But\nwhom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art\nthe Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said\nunto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath\nnot revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I\nsay also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will\nbuild my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.\nAnd I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and\nwhatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and\nwhatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then\ncharged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was\nJesus the Christ.--_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The site of C\u00e6sarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in\nNorthern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of\nwild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and\nmulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on\nall sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join\nthe head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the\nfoot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came\nJesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his\nown people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to\nsearching and anxious enquiry, \"Whom say ye that I am?\" he received\nfrom Simon Peter the memorable confession, \"Thou art the Christ, the\nSon of the living God_.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST\n\n\n\n\nAnd after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother,\nand bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. And was\ntransfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his\nraiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them\nMoses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto\nJesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make\nhere three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for\nElias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:\nand behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved\nSon, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples\nheard _it_, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus\ncame and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when\nthey had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus\nonly.--_St. Matt, xvii: 1--8_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt\nto identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until\nrecent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But\ncloser examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact\nthat Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town\ncontaining a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit\ntradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the\nalternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the\nseclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland\nproviding opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end\nwhich was now imminent, \"the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at\nJerusalem\"_.\n\n\n\n\n\nJESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC\n\n\n\n\nAnd it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down\nfrom the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company\ncried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he\nis mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly\ncrieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising\nhim hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast\nhim out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless\nand perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer\nyou? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil\nthrew him down, and tare _him_. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit,\nand healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.--_St.\nLuke ix: 37-42_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a\nvillage in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built\nhouses, on the roofs of which are seen the reed booths or_ Succ\u00f4th,\n_occupied by the inhabitants during the oppressive heats of summer.\nThe snow-capped ridge of Hermon is indicated in the distance_.\n\n\n\n\n\nLET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU\n\n\n\n\nNow about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and\ntaught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,\nhaving never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is\nnot mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought\nunto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They\nsay unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be\nstoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they\nmight have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with _his_\nfinger wrote on the ground, _as though he heard them not_. So when\nthey continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them,\nHe that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.\nAnd again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which\nheard _it_, being convicted by _their own_ conscience, went out one\nby one, beginning at the eldest, _even_ unto the last: and Jesus was\nleft alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had\nlifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her,\nWoman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?\nShe said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn\nthee: go, and sin no more.--_St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great\ncloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which\nlike the Forum of Rome, and \"Paul's Wall\" in Elizabethan, London,\nserved the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These\nporticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa\nBasilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of\none hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern\nCloister, known as \"Solomon's Porch,\" was probably so-called as\nhaving been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the\nfirst Temple_.\n\n\n\n\n\nONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL\n\n\n\n\nAnd it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through\nthe midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain\nvillage, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar\noff. And they lifted up _their_ voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have\nmercy on us. And when he saw _them_, he said unto them, Go shew\nyourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went,\nthey were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed,\nturned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on\n_his_ face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.\nAnd Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where\n_are_ the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to\nGod, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy\nfaith hath made thee whole.--_St. Luke xvii: II--19._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as\nseen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this\npicture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our\nLord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of\nhis enemies_.\n\n\n\n\n\nJESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS\n\n\n\n\nNow it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain\nvillage: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her\nhouse. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus'\nfeet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving,\nand came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister\nhath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And\nJesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful\nand troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary\nhath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from\nher.--_St. Luke x: 38-42._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Bethany is situated on the southern slope of the Mount of Olives,\nabout two miles from Jerusalem. The house of his friends, Martha,\nMary, and Lazarus, the only place which, during the latter part of\nhis ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in\neasy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards\nof Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in\ngardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and\nAmerica, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,\nupon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins\nof an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer\ndiscovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to\npoint with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house\nof Martha, Mary, and Lazarus_.\n\n\n\n\n\nJESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN\n\n\n\n\nAnd they brought young children to him, that he should touch them:\nand _his_ disciples rebuked those that brought _them_. But when Jesus\nsaw _it_, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the\nlittle children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is\nthe kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not\nreceive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter\ntherein. And he took them up in his arms, put _his_ hands upon them,\nand blessed them.--_St. Mark x: 13-16._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_In the Hebrew Bible--the Talmud--it is stated that, according to\npious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue\nthat they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of\nthe elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently\nappealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and\nbenefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought\nto Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and\nblessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from\nthat of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This\nkindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable\nconsequence to the life of children in the development of Christian\ncivilization._\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD\n\n\n\n\nThen said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for\nyour sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;\nnevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in\nhimself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.\nJesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that\nwas dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath\nbeen _dead_ four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee,\nthat, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?\nThen they took away the stone _from the place_ where the dead was\nlaid. And Jesus lifted up _his_ eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee\nthat thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but\nbecause of the people which stand by I said _it_, that they may\nbelieve that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried\nwith a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came\nforth.--_St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not\nso common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless\nselected as being in accordance with the description of what took\nplace in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which\nis referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of\n\"the stone rolled away from the sepulchre\" The entrance of the tomb\nis at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a\ndisc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a\nslot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the\nbackground has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is\nclosed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it\nto prevent its recession, and finally by covering the\nbefore-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the\ntomb is \"sealed.\"_\n\n\n\n\n\nCONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN\n\n\n\n\nAnd _Jesus_ entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, _there\nwas_ a man named Zacch\u00e6us, which was the chief among the publicans,\nand he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not\nfor the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before,\nand climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass\nthat _way_. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw\nhim, and said unto him, Zacch\u00e6us, make haste, and come down; for to\nday I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and\nreceived him joyfully. And when they saw _it_, they all murmured,\nsaying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And\nZacch\u00e6us stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my\ngoods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man\nby false accusation, I restore _him_ fourfold. And Jesus said unto\nhim, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also\nis a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save\nthat which was lost.--_St. Luke xix: 1-10_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig\nbearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of\nnecessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily\nclimbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and\nwide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable\ntown. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to\nteach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness_.\n\n\n\n\n\nJESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS\n\n\n\n\nAnd they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his\ndisciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of\nTimaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it\nwas Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, _thou_\nson of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should\nhold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, _Thou_ son of\nDavid, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to\nbe called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good\ncomfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,\nrose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What\nwilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him,\nLord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy\nway; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his\nsight, and followed Jesus in the way.--_St. Mark x: 4.6--52._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but\nneither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those\nwhich it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the\ncelebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the\npalms which earned for Jericho the title of \"The City of the Palm\nTrees,\" and which made its neighboring plain the garden of\nPalestine--the \"divine district\" as Joseph us calls it. This\nfertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less\nthan twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers\nmore frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his\ncompassion and healing power than that represented by blind\nBartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,\nthe proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of\nthe population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a\nthousand_.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM\n\n\n\n\nAnd when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,\nunto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples. Saying unto\nthem, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall\nfind an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose _them_, and bring _them_\nunto me. And if any _man_ say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord\nhath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was\ndone, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And\nthe disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the\nass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set _him_\nthereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way;\nothers cut down branches from the trees, and strawed _them_ in the\nway. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,\nsaying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed _is_ he that cometh in\nthe name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come\ninto Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the\nmultitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of\nGalilee.--_St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the\ncolt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably\nhave brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the\ncountry; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares\nand she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be\nnoted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for\nthat through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;\nthe former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which\nare to be found at the present day in Jerusalem itself_.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY\n\n\n\n\nAnd he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the\nscribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could\nnot find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive\nto hear him. And it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as he\ntaught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief\npriests and the scribes came upon _him_ with the elders. And spake\nunto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?\nor who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said\nunto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism\nof John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with\nthemselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why\nthen believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people\nwill stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And\nthey answered, that they could not tell whence _it was_. And Jesus\nsaid unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these\nthings.--_St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the\nopposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the\npresence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their\nhypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts\nof the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years\npreviously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never\nfully completed in accordance with their original design_.\n\n\n\n\n\nAT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES\n\n\n\n\nAnd in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he\nwent out, and abode in the mount that is called _the mount_ of\nOlives.--_St. Luke xxi: 37._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze\non the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is\nin its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the\neyes of Jesus rested, when \"at night he went out, and abode in the\nmount that is called the Mount of Olives\" Yonder stands a temple\nwithin that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand\nyears, save for the period during which, \"the abomination of\ndesolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,\"\nhas been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of\nJerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and\nto the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery\ngarden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of\nHerod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the\nvalleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the\nolive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name\nwhich it bears to the hill on which we stand._\n\n\n\n\n\nJESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET\n\n\n\n\nNow before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour\nwas come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father,\nhaving loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the\nend. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart\nof Judas Iscariot, Simon's _son_, to betray him. Jesus knowing that\nthe Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come\nfrom God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his\ngarments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth\nwater into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to\nwipe _them_ with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to\nSimon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?\nJesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but\nthou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never\nwash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no\npart with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but\nalso _my_ hands and _my_ head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed\nneedeth not save to wash _his_ feet, but is clean every whit: and ye\nare clean, but not all.--_St. John xiii: 1-10._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in\nJerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the \"large upper\nroom,\" represented in this and some other of the paintings. The\ngeneral features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and\nflattened dome, its_ leewans _(raised platform) and the\nentrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their\nfoot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,\nmay, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of\nsimilar apartments of the period under consideration._\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER\n\n\n\n\nWhen Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified,\nand said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall\nbetray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom\nhe spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,\nwhom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he\nshould ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus'\nbreast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to\nwhom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped _it_. And when he had\ndipped the sop, he gave _it_ to Judas Iscariot, _the son_ of Simon.\nAnd after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him,\nThat thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what\nintent he spake this unto him. For some _of them_ thought, because\nJudas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy _those things_\nthat we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give\nsomething to the poor. He then having received the sop went\nimmediately out: and it was night.--_St. John xiii: 21-30._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this\ntime of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of\ninformation, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of\nstanding had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of\nthe recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of\nthe text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the\nsupposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was\nfurnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table\nin the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as\nthe \"highest seat\" some maintaining that this was the outermost place\non the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement\nfollowed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre_.\n\n\n\n\n\nIN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE\n\n\n\n\nThen cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith\nunto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he\ntook with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be\nsorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is\nexceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with\nme. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed,\nsaying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:\nnevertheless not as I will, but as thou _wilt_. And he cometh unto\nthe disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,\ncould ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter\nnot into temptation: the spirit indeed _is_ willing, but the flesh\n_is_ weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O\nmy Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it,\nthy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their\neyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed\nthe third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his\ndisciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take _your_ rest:\nbehold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the\nhands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that\ndoth betray me.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_As the word Gethsemane means the \"oil press\" the \"Garden\" was in all\nprobability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be\ndetermined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity\nat least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene\nof the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been\nurged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as\nwitnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military\npurposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.\nThis site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat\nand trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper\nlevel with five large gilded bulbous domes_.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE ARREST OF JESUS\n\n\n\n\n\nJudas then, having received a band _of men_ and officers from the\nchief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches\nand weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come\nupon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered\nhim, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am _he_. And Judas\nalso, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had\nsaid unto them, I am _he_, they went backward, and fell to the\nground.--Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,\nWhomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And\nforthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.\nAnd Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came\nthey, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them\nwhich were with Jesus stretched out _his_ hand, and drew his sword,\nand struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.\nThen said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for\nall they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest\nthou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give\nme more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the\nscriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said\nJesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with\nswords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in\nthe temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that\nthe scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the\ndisciples forsook him, and fled.--_St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,\nxxvi: 48-56._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the\nvery act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had\nthe plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when \"all the\ndisciples forsook him and fled\" Judas alone had courage, in the hour\nof danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his\nMaster_.\n\n\n\n\n\nJESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS\n\n\n\n\nAnd they that had laid hold on Jesus led _him_ away to Caiaphas the\nhigh priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But\nPeter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went\nin, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests,\nand elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus,\nto put him to death. But found none: yea, though many false witnesses\ncame, _yet_ found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,\nAnd said, This _fellow_ said, I am able to destroy the temple of God,\nand to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said\nunto him, Answerest thou nothing? what _is it which_ these witness\nagainst thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered\nand said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us\nwhether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,\nThou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see\nthe Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the\nclouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He\nhath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?\nbehold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered\nand said, He is guilty of death.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 57--66._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular\ntribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was\nsimilar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a\nsemi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at\neach extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the\ncourt. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated\nfor the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was\nflagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a\npre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that\nwitnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on\nbehalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should\nbe conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the\nday of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that\nexecution should follow on the day of sentence_.\n\n\n\n\n\nJESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER\n\n\n\n\nNow Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him,\nsaying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before\n_them_ all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone\nout into the porch, another _maid_ saw him, and said unto them that\nwere there, This _fellow_ was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again\nhe denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came\nunto _him_ they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also\nart _one_ of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to\ncurse and to swear, _saying_, I know not the man. And immediately the\ncock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter\nremembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the\ncock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept\nbitterly.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually\nconsist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a\nquadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and\nfurnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was\nprobably the construction of the palace of the High Priest\n(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus\nwould be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where\nbitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his\nfriend--and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his\nMessiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn\nto stand by him, even unto death_.","title":"The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, Vol. 3","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":70935}